Many of us who saw the daily COVID-19 caseload yesterday must have rubbed our eyes a couple of times or checked if we had the correct date.
For the first time since 20 Sep – more than two months ago – the number of new COVID-19 cases fell below 1,000.
As a result, the weekly infection growth rate – the ratio of community cases for the past week over the week before – fell to 0.69 from Saturday’s 0.75.
Sadly, more people succumbed to the disease.
11 COVID-19 Deaths
11 more COVID-19 cases passed away from complications, taking our death toll to 701.
Aged between 67 and 98, all of them had various underlying medical conditions.
747 New COVID-19 Cases
747 new COVID-19 cases were reported yesterday (28 Nov), a decrease of 1,014 from the previous day’s tally.
The cases comprise 719 infections in the community, 25 in migrant worker dormitories, and three imported infections.
Among the local cases are 135 seniors above 60.
MOH Monitoring 3 Large Clusters
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is closely monitoring three large clusters with new cases, the largest of which is at Pacific Healthcare Nursing Home in Lengkok Bahru.
With nine new infections, the home now has 44 cases. comprising 43 residents and one staff member.
The cluster at the Society for the Aged Sick grew to 29 after one more case was linked to it, of whom 26 are residents and three are staff members.
The last cluster, ECON Healthcare Nursing Home (Chai Chee) swelled to 41 infections. All but one of the cases are residents.
1,147 COVID-19 Cases in Hospital; 82 in ICU
At the moment, there are 1,147 COVID-19 cases warded in hospitals, most of whom are well and under observation.
210 serious cases require oxygen supplementation and 82 are in the intensive care unit, comprising 27 cases who are unstable and under close monitoring, and 55 who are critically ill and intubated.
Our ICU utilisation rate is currently at 57.4%, a slight increase from Saturday’s 56.6%.
Over the past seven days, the number of fully vaccinated and non-fully vaccinated cases who have been critically ill in the ICU are at 0.5 and 4.4 per 100,000 population respectively.
The same figures for seniors aged 60 and above are 1.6 and 41.2 respectively.
Over the same period, the number of fully vaccinated and non-fully vaccinated cases who died are 0.04 and 0.4 per 100,000 population respectively.
The same figures for seniors aged 60 and above are 0.2 and 4.3 respectively.
Currently, 85% of our population has been fully vaccinated and 86% have received at least one dose. 25% have received their booster shots.
PM Lee: We May Be Forced to Take Some Steps Back
As you know, the Omicron COVID-19 variant has governments all over the world concerned.
Speaking about its emergence yesterday, PM Lee said we may be forced to take a few steps back before we can take more steps forward.
“But despite all this, I am confident that we will find our way to living with the virus, and safely resume all the things we love to do,” he said.
Let’s hope that’s the case.
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