Singapore reports 1,275 new COVID-19 cases and 3 deaths; daily caseload lowest in more than 2 months

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 1,275 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths linked to the coronavirus as of noon on Thursday (Nov 25).

This is the lowest number of new infections since Sep 21 as well as the lowest number of deaths since Oct 7. 

The fatalities were aged between 69 and 74. All of them had various underlying medical conditions. The Ministry of Health (MOH) did not specify what these conditions were.

Singapore's death toll from the coronavirus now stands at 681.

The overall intensive care unit (ICU) utilisation rate on Thursday was 56.8 per cent - an increase from Wednesday's figure of 56.1 per cent. 

WEEKLY INFECTION GROWTH RATE

The weekly infection growth rate dropped to 0.72 from Wednesday's 0.75. This refers to the ratio of community cases for the past week over the week before. It has stayed below 1 for 13 consecutive days.

The daily case count on Thursday was down from the 2,079 infections reported on Wednesday.

Among the new cases, 1,259 are locally transmitted, comprising 1,228 infections in the community and 31 in migrant workers' dormitories.

The remaining 16 are imported cases, MOH said in its daily update released to the media at about 11.10pm. 

As of Thursday, Singapore has reported 258,785 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

HOSPITALISATIONS

A total of 1,251 cases are warded in hospital, said MOH.

Among them, 206 require oxygen supplementation in general wards, 31 patients are unstable and under close monitoring in the ICU, and 55 are critically ill and intubated.

A total of 3,223 cases were discharged over the past day, of whom 481 are seniors aged 60 and above. 

As of Saturday, 94 per cent of the eligible population - those aged 12 and above - have completed their full regimen or received two doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

Twenty-four per cent have received their booster shots. 

Of the 70,746 COVID-19 cases over the last 28 days, 98.7 per cent had mild symptoms or were asymptomatic, while 0.8 per cent required oxygen supplementation in the general ward, 0.2 per cent were in the ICU and 0.2 per cent died.

CLUSTERS

MOH said it is "closely monitoring" three large clusters, including one at the Society for the Aged Sick. 

Two more infections were linked to that cluster on Thursday, bringing its total to 27. These include three staff members and 24 residents.