Just a couple of weeks ago, our daily COVID-19 case count remained under 5 for several days, with no community cases at all on some days.
The government started talking about opening up, and we finally saw a light at the end of this long, long tunnel.
But it appears that once again, that light was simply an entrance to another long, long tunnel.
Yesterday, a whopping 88 new community cases were reported, the highest daily case count since Aug last year.
Here are the depressing deets:
3 More Markets & Food Centres & 4 More KTV Lounges Linked to COVID-19 Cases
As you’d expect, most of the cases were linked to KTV lounges and fishmongers at markets.
Of the 88 community infections reported, 42 were linked to Jurong Fishery Port cluster. The new cluster now has 63 cases.
Among these were fishmongers working at Haig Road Market and Cooked Food Centre, Jurong Central Plaza, and Shunfu Mart.
“We are closely monitoring the situation and taking action to quickly contain and manage the cases, including contact tracing, quarantine and aggressive testing,” the Ministry of Health (MOH) said.
Another 25 cases were linked to the growing KTV cluster, which now has a total of 173 cases.
MOH said there is likely ongoing transmission at another four clubs, namely:
- Maze Club at 2 Aliwal Street
- China Doll at 1 Sophia Road
- Club Myth at 1 Coleman Street
- Martell W KTV Chivas at 6 Foch Road
The ministry urged all visitors to these lounges to monitor their health closely and minimise social interactions as far as possible for 14 days from their date of visit or interaction.
As always, they should see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell.
“We also advise all visitors to markets and food centres to avoid crowds and to do your marketing during off-peak hours or at supermarkets, and to strictly observe the safe management measures,” MOH said.
Expect Cases to Rise
There will likely be rising case numbers in the coming days, MOH said, as it’s ramping up efforts to fish out infections in the community.
The number of new community cases this week has skyrocketed from 17 cases the week before to 325 cases in the past week.
The number of unlinked cases in the community has also gone up from eight cases the week before to 31 cases in the past week.
243 Cases in Hospitals
At the moment, there are 243 COVID-19 cases warded in hospitals, most of whom are well and under observation.
5 cases of serious illness require oxygen supplementation, and one is in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
None of these 6 cases is fully vaccinated.
Featured Image: Google Maps