Yesterday was a good day.
Not only were more COVID-19 safety measures relaxed, the daily case count also fell drastically.
For the last few days or so, the number of new locally transmitted infections reported daily has hovered around 50, but it dropped to 29 yesterday.
This is the lowest daily count since 13 July, when 19 cases were reported.
Of the 29 new locally transmitted cases, 13 were unlinked. With the addition of three imported cases, the total case count was 32.
Here are the details:
New Cluster Reported at Giant
Two new clusters were identified by the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday, one of which was linked to Giant Supermarket.
Located at 683 Hougang Avenue 8, the cluster now has seven cases.
Giant said on Tuesday (17 Aug) that a few of its employees at their Hougang store had tested positive for COVID-19. All were fully vaccinated and asymptomatic.
The cases were detected through the routine testing Giant regularly conducts for all its store team members.
It added that the store has been closed for deep cleaning. Close contacts have been placed on quarantine.
The other new cluster was linked to an individual case, with 32 infections linked to them.
The only existing cluster that grew was the Superland Pre-School cluster at Kreta Ayer Community Centre, which now has 17 infections, with the addition of another case yesterday.
Five clusters were closed by MOH yesterday, meaning we now have 84 active clusters in the country.
391 Cases in Hospital; 8 in ICU
At the moment, 391 COVID-19 cases are in hospital, most of whom are well and under observation.
29 severe cases currently require oxygen supplementation, while eight are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Of these 37 cases, 22 were partially vaccinated or completely unvaccinated.
Currently, 77% of our population have been vaccinated, with 82% having received at least one dose.
Singapore to Launch Its First-Ever Vaccinated Travel Lanes
Remember how the authorities said in the past that quarantine-free travel may be available to fully vaccinated individuals in the future?
Well, it’s finally happening.
From 8 Sep, travellers from Germany or Brunei will be able to enter Singapore without serving a stay-home notice, as long as they are fully vaccinated.
In lieu of quarantine, they must undergo four tests, including one pre-departure and another on arrival.
Travellers from Hong Kong and Macao soon won’t have to serve a stay-home notice when they enter Singapore either, and will only need to take a COVID-19 test instead.
From 11:59pm today (20 Aug), vaccinated travellers coming here from abroad can also be eligible for vaccination-differentiated measures and will have vaccinations stickers affixed to their passports.
Looks like travel is finally returning, albeit very slowly.
Understand the importance of vaccination here:
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