Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has said that 30 per cent of coronavirus deaths last year were fully vaccinated.

Citing the Omicron's higher transmissibility, he also said that Singapore can expect an infection wave ''several times larger'' than the one caused by Delta.

''If Delta infections reached a sustained incidence of about 3,000 cases a day, Omicron could perhaps reach 10,000 to 15,000 cases a day, or more.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-virus-strain-infecting-children-more-singapore-385636">Also read |&nbsp;New virus strain infecting children more: Singapore</a>

"If we have to tighten the restrictions, it will be as a last resort when our healthcare system is under severe pressure," he said, in response to questions on whether stricter rules will be put in place.

Meanwhile, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, ''The fight against Covid-19 is not over. The Omicron variant has brought new uncertainties.''

“We may well be forced to take a few steps back again, before we can take more steps forward,” he said.&nbsp;

“But despite all this, I am confident that, eventually, we will find our way to living with the virus and safely resume all the things we love to do.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/important-signal-unvaccinated-covid-19-patients-in-singapore-to-now-pay-their-hospital-bills-427907">Also read |&nbsp;'Important signal': Unvaccinated COVID-19 patients in Singapore to now pay their hospital bills</a>

Early in the pandemic, the major Southeast Asian business and trade hub kept the spread of coronavirus cases to the single or low double-digits for nearly a year by imposing a hard-line “circuit-breaker” lockdown.

Authorities initially imposed tough measures to restrict movement and gatherings but later shifted to a policy of living with the virus as the majority of residents got fully vaccinated.

With its vaccination rollout in full swing, an aggressive testing and tracking regimen, and strict health and safety guidelines, the nation of 5.5 million felt confident as it embarked in August upon what it called a “transition journey to a COVID-19 resilient nation.”

In addition to a widely vaccinated population, Singapore calculated that its testing was comprehensive enough that it would be able to identify and isolate new outbreak clusters rapidly, and that its health care system had the capacity to deal with any more serious cases.

The highly transmissible delta variant threw the plan a curveball, and the government in September again tightened some lockdown measures, such as reducing the group sizes for social gatherings and for dining in restaurants.

By the end of October, Singapore hit a 7-day rolling average of nearly 700 cases per million people, by far its worst rate of the entire pandemic.

Deaths peaked at a 7-day rolling average of 2.57 per million people on November 10, according to Our World in Data.

Singapore reported 845 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, including 587 imported infections. There was one fatality, taking the country's death toll from coronavirus complications to 838.

(With inputs from agencies)

Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has said that 30 per cent of coronavirus deaths last year were fully vaccinated. Citing the Omicron's higher transmissibility, he also said that Singapore can expect an infection wave ''several times larger'' than the one caused by Delta.

Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has said that 30 per cent of coronavirus deaths last year were fully vaccinated. Citing the Omicron's higher transmissibility, he also said that Singapore can expect an infection wave ''several times larger'' than the one caused by Delta. ''If Delta infections reached a sustained incidence of about 3,000 cases a day, Omicron could perhaps reach 10,000 to 15,000 cases a day, or more.'' Also read | New virus strain infecting children more: Singapore "If we have to tighten the restrictions, it will be as a last resort when our healthcare system is under severe pressure," he said, in response to questions on whether stricter rules will be put in place. Meanwhile, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said, ''The fight against Covid-19 is not over. The Omicron variant has brought new uncertainties.'' “We may well be forced to take a few steps back again, before we can take more steps forward,” he said. “But despite all this, I am confident that, eventually, we will find our way to living with the virus and safely resume all the things we love to do.” Also read | 'Important signal': Unvaccinated COVID-19 patients in Singapore to now pay their hospital bills Early in the pandemic, the major Southeast Asian business and trade hub kept the spread of coronavirus cases to the single or low double-digits for nearly a year by imposing a hard-line “circuit-breaker” lockdown. Authorities initially imposed tough measures to restrict movement and gatherings but later shifted to a policy of living with the virus as the majority of residents got fully vaccinated. With its vaccination rollout in full swing, an aggressive testing and tracking regimen, and strict health and safety guidelines, the nation of 5.5 million felt confident as it embarked in August upon what it called a “transition journey to a COVID-19 resilient nation.” In addition to a widely vaccinated population, Singapore calculated that its testing was comprehensive enough that it would be able to identify and isolate new outbreak clusters rapidly, and that its health care system had the capacity to deal with any more serious cases. The highly transmissible delta variant threw the plan a curveball, and the government in September again tightened some lockdown measures, such as reducing the group sizes for social gatherings and for dining in restaurants. By the end of October, Singapore hit a 7-day rolling average of nearly 700 cases per million people, by far its worst rate of the entire pandemic. Deaths peaked at a 7-day rolling average of 2.57 per million people on November 10, according to Our World in Data. Singapore reported 845 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, including 587 imported infections. There was one fatality, taking the country's death toll from coronavirus complications to 838. (With inputs from agencies)

Singapore: Health Minister Ong Ye Kung says 30% of coronavirus deaths last year were fully vaccinated

The vaccines were supposed to be the ticket out of the pandemic. But in Singapore, things did not go according to plan.

The Southeast Asian city-state was widely considered a success story in its initial handling of the coronavirus. It closed its borders, tested and traced aggressively and was one of the first countries in Asia to order vaccines.

A top politician told the public that an 80 per cent vaccination rate was the criterion for a phased reopening. Singapore has now fully inoculated 83 per cent of its population, but instead of opening up, it is doing quite the opposite.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-trials-patrol-robots-to-deter-bad-social-behaviour-411229">Singapore trials patrol robots to deter bad social behaviour</a>

In September, with cases doubling every eight to 10 days, the government reinstated restrictions on gatherings. The United States said its citizens should reconsider travel to the country. Long lines started forming at the emergency departments in several hospitals. People were told once again, they should work from home.

The country’s experience has become a sobering case study for other nations pursuing reopening strategies without having had to deal with large outbreaks in the pandemic. For the Singapore residents who believed the city-state would reopen once the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccination</a> rate reached a certain level, there was a feeling of whiplash and nagging questions about what it would take to reopen if vaccines were not enough.

“In a way, we are a victim of our own success, because we’ve achieved as close to zero COVID as we can get and a very, very low death rate,” said Dr. Paul Tambyah, an infectious diseases specialist at National University Hospital. “So we want to keep the position at the top of the class, and it’s very hard to do.”

Singapore’s careful, some say overly cautious, approach to reopening contrasts with that of the United States and Europe, where vaccinated people are already gathering at concerts, festivals and other large events. But unlike Singapore, both of those places had to manage substantial outbreaks early in the pandemic.

Also read |&nbsp;​​​​​​​<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-to-ease-virus-curbs-for-migrant-workers-411907">Singapore to ease virus curbs for migrant workers</a>

Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s finance minister and a chair of the country’s <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> task force, said the lesson for “COVID-naive societies” like Singapore, New Zealand and Australia is to be ready for large waves of infections, “regardless of the vaccine coverage.”

“Once you open up, more social interactions will happen,” he said. “And given the inherently highly transmissible nature of the delta variant, you will get big clusters emerging.”

The vaccines have worked to keep most of the population out of the hospital, with 98.3 per cent of cases presenting mild or no symptoms. The deaths have occurred mostly in seniors, usually with comorbidities, and account for 0.2 per cent of the cases over the past 28 days. But the shots cannot protect against infection, especially when up against the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/covid-19-delta-variant-increases-the-risk-of-death-by-133-per-cent-418711">delta variant</a>, Wong said.

“In Singapore, we think that you cannot just rely on vaccines alone during this intermediate phase,” he said. “And that’s why we do not plan an approach where we reopen in a big bang manner, and just declare freedom.”

In Wong’s vision of how the pandemic will play out in Singapore, people will continue to wear face masks. Travel is unlikely to be entirely free. Social distancing will remain, perhaps until 2024.

He stressed that Singapore was still on a path toward living with COVID and said he recognized that any form of tightening, no matter how small, would be met with anger and frustration because people are anxious to move on. “But we have to adjust based on the realities, based on the situation we are facing,” he said.

Also read |&nbsp;​​​​​​​<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/singapore-patrol-robots-seeking-undesirable-social-behaviour-spark-privacy-concerns-418598">Singapore: Patrol robots seeking 'undesirable social behaviour' spark privacy concerns</a>

Last month, officials scrambled to set up community treatment facilities equipped with oxygen tanks and asked those with mild or no symptoms to recover at home. Many Singaporeans said there was confusion about what to do and that the government appeared ill-prepared.

“If the health care system gets overwhelmed, that’s when we know from experience everywhere that doctors are unable to cope and you have death rates start to go up,” Wong said. “So we are trying very hard to avoid that.”

Several doctors have disputed the government’s claim that the health care system is under immense strain. Tambyah, who is also chair of an opposition party that recently drew up an alternative strategy for dealing with the pandemic, said there was enough of a buffer in hospitals because Singapore had canceled all elective surgeries.

The problem for Singapore’s leaders, he said, is that they are “essentially doing a transition from zero COVID toward living with the virus.”

For many, the repeated tweaks to the restrictions have taken a toll. The number of suicides in 2020 was the highest since 2012, a trend that some mental health experts have attributed to the pandemic. People have called on the government to consider the mental health concerns caused by the restrictions.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-pandemic-took-hold-suicide-rose-among-japanese-women-365653">As pandemic took hold, suicide rose among Japanese women</a>

“It’s just economically, sociologically, emotionally and mentally unsustainable,” said Devadas Krishnadas, CEO at Future-Moves Group, a consultancy in Singapore. Krishnadas said the decision to reintroduce restrictions after reaching such a high vaccination rate made the country a global outlier.

“And, importantly, it moves Singapore in a complete 180 degrees, opposite direction from where the rest of the world is headed,” he said. “That brings us to the strategic question of where will this leave Singapore — if we don’t get off what I call the hamster wheel of opening and closing.”

Sarah Chan, a deputy director at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, said she had a fleeting taste of what normal life was like when she arrived in Italy last month to visit her husband’s family.

No masks were required outdoors, vaccinated people could gather in groups without any restrictions, and Chan and her son could bop their heads to music in restaurants. In Singapore, music inside restaurants has been banned based on the notion that it could encourage the spread of the virus.

Chan said she was so moved by her time in Italy that she cried.

“It’s almost normal. You forget what that’s like,” she said. “I really miss that.”

The vaccines were supposed to be the ticket out of the pandemic. But in Singapore, things did not go according to plan. The Southeast Asian city-state was widely considered a success story in its initial handling of the coronavirus.

The vaccines were supposed to be the ticket out of the pandemic. But in Singapore, things did not go according to plan. The Southeast Asian city-state was widely considered a success story in its initial handling of the coronavirus. It closed its borders, tested and traced aggressively and was one of the first countries in Asia to order vaccines. A top politician told the public that an 80 per cent vaccination rate was the criterion for a phased reopening. Singapore has now fully inoculated 83 per cent of its population, but instead of opening up, it is doing quite the opposite. Also read | Singapore trials patrol robots to deter bad social behaviour In September, with cases doubling every eight to 10 days, the government reinstated restrictions on gatherings. The United States said its citizens should reconsider travel to the country. Long lines started forming at the emergency departments in several hospitals. People were told once again, they should work from home. The country’s experience has become a sobering case study for other nations pursuing reopening strategies without having had to deal with large outbreaks in the pandemic. For the Singapore residents who believed the city-state would reopen once the vaccination rate reached a certain level, there was a feeling of whiplash and nagging questions about what it would take to reopen if vaccines were not enough. “In a way, we are a victim of our own success, because we’ve achieved as close to zero COVID as we can get and a very, very low death rate,” said Dr. Paul Tambyah, an infectious diseases specialist at National University Hospital. “So we want to keep the position at the top of the class, and it’s very hard to do.” Singapore’s careful, some say overly cautious, approach to reopening contrasts with that of the United States and Europe, where vaccinated people are already gathering at concerts, festivals and other large events. But unlike Singapore, both of those places had to manage substantial outbreaks early in the pandemic. Also read | Singapore to ease virus curbs for migrant workers Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s finance minister and a chair of the country’s COVID-19 task force, said the lesson for “COVID-naive societies” like Singapore, New Zealand and Australia is to be ready for large waves of infections, “regardless of the vaccine coverage.” “Once you open up, more social interactions will happen,” he said. “And given the inherently highly transmissible nature of the delta variant, you will get big clusters emerging.” The vaccines have worked to keep most of the population out of the hospital, with 98.3 per cent of cases presenting mild or no symptoms. The deaths have occurred mostly in seniors, usually with comorbidities, and account for 0.2 per cent of the cases over the past 28 days. But the shots cannot protect against infection, especially when up against the delta variant, Wong said. “In Singapore, we think that you cannot just rely on vaccines alone during this intermediate phase,” he said. “And that’s why we do not plan an approach where we reopen in a big bang manner, and just declare freedom.” In Wong’s vision of how the pandemic will play out in Singapore, people will continue to wear face masks. Travel is unlikely to be entirely free. Social distancing will remain, perhaps until 2024. He stressed that Singapore was still on a path toward living with COVID and said he recognized that any form of tightening, no matter how small, would be met with anger and frustration because people are anxious to move on. “But we have to adjust based on the realities, based on the situation we are facing,” he said. Also read | Singapore: Patrol robots seeking 'undesirable social behaviour' spark privacy concerns Last month, officials scrambled to set up community treatment facilities equipped with oxygen tanks and asked those with mild or no symptoms to recover at home. Many Singaporeans said there was confusion about what to do and that the government appeared ill-prepared. “If the health care system gets overwhelmed, that’s when we know from experience everywhere that doctors are unable to cope and you have death rates start to go up,” Wong said. “So we are trying very hard to avoid that.” Several doctors have disputed the government’s claim that the health care system is under immense strain. Tambyah, who is also chair of an opposition party that recently drew up an alternative strategy for dealing with the pandemic, said there was enough of a buffer in hospitals because Singapore had canceled all elective surgeries. The problem for Singapore’s leaders, he said, is that they are “essentially doing a transition from zero COVID toward living with the virus.” For many, the repeated tweaks to the restrictions have taken a toll. The number of suicides in 2020 was the highest since 2012, a trend that some mental health experts have attributed to the pandemic. People have called on the government to consider the mental health concerns caused by the restrictions. Also read | As pandemic took hold, suicide rose among Japanese women “It’s just economically, sociologically, emotionally and mentally unsustainable,” said Devadas Krishnadas, CEO at Future-Moves Group, a consultancy in Singapore. Krishnadas said the decision to reintroduce restrictions after reaching such a high vaccination rate made the country a global outlier. “And, importantly, it moves Singapore in a complete 180 degrees, opposite direction from where the rest of the world is headed,” he said. “That brings us to the strategic question of where will this leave Singapore — if we don’t get off what I call the hamster wheel of opening and closing.” Sarah Chan, a deputy director at Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, said she had a fleeting taste of what normal life was like when she arrived in Italy last month to visit her husband’s family. No masks were required outdoors, vaccinated people could gather in groups without any restrictions, and Chan and her son could bop their heads to music in restaurants. In Singapore, music inside restaurants has been banned based on the notion that it could encourage the spread of the virus. Chan said she was so moved by her time in Italy that she cried. “It’s almost normal. You forget what that’s like,” she said. “I really miss that.”

They had the vaccines and a plan to reopen. Instead they got cold feet.

Another wave of coronavirus outbreak threatens Singapore as the country reported late on Thursday a record jump in the number of cases.

The Ministry of Health reported 728 new cases, the biggest rise on a daily basis, taking the toll number of infections to 4,427, including 10 deaths. &nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wuhan-once-chinas-coronavirus-epicentre-raises-death-toll-by-50-293040">Wuhan, once China's coronavirus epicentre raises death toll by 50%</a>

"The number of new cases amongst Work Permit holders residing in dormitories has increased significantly, in line with our continued efforts to actively test and isolate the infected workers," the ministry said.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/chinas-economy-shrinks-suffers-huge-drop-in-face-of-coronavirus-battle-293039">China's economy shrinks, suffers huge drop in face of coronavirus battle</a>

It further said that around 90 per cent of the new cases were linked to people living in dorms and another 26 foreign workers living outside the facilities.&nbsp;

Earlier, Singapore was the part of a smaller group of countries that have well-fought the coronavirus crisis with praises coming from the World Health Organization (WHO).

However, the virus is spreading rapidly from migrant workers, which form a major part of the country's workforce.

Around 200,000 workers, mostly from South Asia, live in 43 dorms across Singapore.&nbsp;

A large part of this workforce is involved in construction activities and their poor living conditions in the dorms were sharply criticised, following which the government moved thousands of them in areas that are not densely populated to lessen the spread of infection.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, veteran Singapore diplomat hit out at the government on Facebook describing it as a "the disgraceful way" &nbsp;of treating foreign workers.&nbsp;

It should be a "wake-up call to treat our indispensable foreign workers like a first world country should", he said. &nbsp;

(With AFP, Reuters inputs)

Another wave of coronavirus outbreak threatens Singapore as the country reported late on Thursday a record jump in the number of cases. The Ministry of Health reported 728 new cases, the biggest rise on a daily basis, taking the toll number of infections to 4,427, including 10 deaths.

Another wave of coronavirus outbreak threatens Singapore as the country reported late on Thursday a record jump in the number of cases. The Ministry of Health reported 728 new cases, the biggest rise on a daily basis, taking the toll number of infections to 4,427, including 10 deaths. Also read | Wuhan, once China's coronavirus epicentre raises death toll by 50% "The number of new cases amongst Work Permit holders residing in dormitories has increased significantly, in line with our continued efforts to actively test and isolate the infected workers," the ministry said. Also read | China's economy shrinks, suffers huge drop in face of coronavirus battle It further said that around 90 per cent of the new cases were linked to people living in dorms and another 26 foreign workers living outside the facilities. Earlier, Singapore was the part of a smaller group of countries that have well-fought the coronavirus crisis with praises coming from the World Health Organization (WHO). However, the virus is spreading rapidly from migrant workers, which form a major part of the country's workforce. Around 200,000 workers, mostly from South Asia, live in 43 dorms across Singapore. A large part of this workforce is involved in construction activities and their poor living conditions in the dorms were sharply criticised, following which the government moved thousands of them in areas that are not densely populated to lessen the spread of infection. Earlier this month, veteran Singapore diplomat hit out at the government on Facebook describing it as a "the disgraceful way" of treating foreign workers. It should be a "wake-up call to treat our indispensable foreign workers like a first world country should", he said. (With AFP, Reuters inputs)

Second wave of coronavirus wave threatens Singapore as country witnesses record infections