Singapore confirms 9 new COVID deaths, highest in a day since 5 Dec last year

SINGAPORE — Singapore reported nine new COVID-19 related deaths on Monday (14 February), the highest in a day since 13 people were announced on 5 December last year to have succumbed to the disease.

This brings the total number of people who died from COVID-19 here to 906.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) also announced 9,082 new COVID cases on Monday, of whom 8,927, or some 98 per cent, were local, bringing the country's total case count to 478,577.

Of the local cases, 6,878 were detected via antigen rapid tests (ART) and 2,049 via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. A total of 1,189 local infections are aged 11 and below, up from 1,130 the previous day.

The remaining 155 are imported cases – 27 were detected via ART while 128 of them were detected via PCR.

The weekly infection growth rate – or ratio of community cases for the past week over the week before – was 1.39 on Monday, down from 1.46 the day before. A figure of over one means that the number of new weekly cases is on the rise.

A total of 10,298 cases were discharged, while 1,332 remain warded, up from 1,272 hospitalised cases on Sunday. This marks the 10th day in a row such cases have crossed the 1,000 mark.

Of those still hospitalised, 147 require oxygen supplementation, while 23 are in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The MOH did not provide Monday's overall ICU utilisation rate. Over the last 28 days, of the 174,831 infected individuals, 99.7 per cent had no or mild symptoms.

As of Sunday, the total number of individuals who have completed their full regimen or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines is 93 per cent of the eligible population.

Among the total population, 90 per cent have done so, while 92 per cent have received at least one dose, and 64 per cent have received their booster shots.

In a press release on Monday morning, the Health Sciences Authority announced that Novavax's Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine has been granted interim authorisation under the pandemic special access route for use in Singapore.

The protein-based vaccine can be given to those aged 18 years and above from 3 February. It will be one of two non-mRNA shots available under Singapore's national vaccination drive, alongside the inactivated CoronaVac developed by Chinese vaccine maker Sinovac.

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