SINGAPORE — The ongoing wave of Covid-19 infections will likely see average daily cases reach a peak of 15,000 by mid-November before subsiding, and there is adequate capacity in the healthcare system to cope, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Saturday (Oct 15).
In fact, the number of cases to be reported on a single day in the coming weeks could even reach between 20,000 and 25,000, due to a backlog of cases as people avoid visiting doctors over the weekend.
But despite the high number of infections, severe cases are expected to remain low.
Giving an update on the local Covid-19 situation during a press conference, Mr Ong said XBB is now the predominant subvariant circulating in the community, accounting for 54 per cent of local cases during the week between Oct 3 and Oct 9, up from 22 per cent the previous week.
In a separate statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said the previous dominant subvariant, BA.5, is now estimated to account for 21 per cent of local cases, while the subvariant BA. 2.75 is estimated to account for 24 per cent of cases.
The XBB subvariant may also be driving an increase in reinfections, MOH added.
The ministry said the proportion of reinfections among total Covid-19 cases in Singapore has been increasing over the past month, with reinfections currently making up about 17 per cent of total new cases.
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/xbb-cases-25000-peak-mid-november-2020696
