Advertisement

Single-day high of 18 reported COVID deaths in S'pore; 3,862 new cases

A man wearing protective mask uses his phone at a park on October 17, 2021 in Singapore. (Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A man wearing a protective mask uses his phone at a park on 17 October, 2021 in Singapore amid the coronavirus pandemic. (PHOTO: NurPhoto via Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (20 October) confirmed 3,862 new COVID-19 cases in Singapore – bringing the country's total case count to 158,587 – as well as a single-day high of 18 deaths due to the disease.

Wednesday marks the 31st day in a row with fatalities from COVID-19 reported in Singapore, with a total of 163 people here having succumbed to it thus far this month. It is also the second straight day with over 3,000 cases reported.

The 247th to 264th COVID-19 deaths in Singapore were 16 Singaporean men and two female permanent residents or Singaporean women aged between 55 and 96.

Among them, eight had been unvaccinated against COVID-19, one had been partially vaccinated and nine had been fully vaccinated.

Seventeen of them had various underlying medical conditions, while an unvaccinated case had no known medical conditions.

Of the new cases, 3,851 are local infections: 3,221 are in the community and 630 reside in the migrant worker dormitories. The remaining 11 are imported.

Among the local cases are 568 people aged above 60, said the MOH.

Four active COVID-19 clusters, all at elderly homes, are being closely monitored in Singapore.

Of the list of monitored clusters, the highest number of 39 new cases was added to the cluster at the Bukit Batok Home for the Aged. The cluster now has 92 cases, of whom all but two – both staff members – are residents.

337 require oxygen supplementation; 67 in ICU

As of Wednesday, 1,718 cases – or 7.3 per cent – are currently warded in hospital, most of whom are well and under observation. A total of 17,084 cases – or 72.3 per cent – are undergoing home recovery, while 3,941 cases are in community care facilities, and 887 are in COVID-19 treatment facilities.

There are currently 337 cases of serious illness requiring oxygen supplementation and 67 in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Apart from the 264 patients who have died from COVID-19 complications, 15 others who tested positive for the virus were determined to have died from unrelated causes, including three whose deaths were attributed to a heart attack and another four whose deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease.

Over the last 28 days, of the 77,040 infected cases, 98.7 per cent had no or mild symptoms, 1.0 per cent required oxygen supplementation, 0.1 per cent required ICU care, and 0.2 per cent has died.

Among those who required oxygen supplementation and ICU over the last 28 days, 47.6 per cent were fully vaccinated and 52.4 per cent were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated. Among those who have died over the same period, 30.1 per cent were fully vaccinated and 69.9 per cent were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

As of Tuesday, about 9.68 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered under the national vaccination programme. Some 4.62 million have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with some 4.56 million having completed the full vaccination regimen.

To date, about 850,000 eligible individuals have been invited to receive their booster doses – 622,452 of them have received their booster shots while another 92,000 have booked their appointments.

Separately, 229,117 doses of other vaccines recognised in the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL) have been administered as of Tuesday, covering 119,071 individuals.

This means that 84 per cent of the population have completed their full regimen or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines, and 85 per cent have received at least one dose.

Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore