1,443 COVID-19 Cases Reported on 25 Sept; 3 COVID-19 Deaths Reported

On Friday (24 Sep), three COVID-19 fatalities were recorded, taking September’s death toll to 18.

This equaled August’s toll, when the number of deaths started rising rapidly all of a sudden.

Sadly, August’s record number of COVID-19 deaths was broken yesterday, as three more cases succumbed to the virus.

3 COVID-19 Deaths Reported

The Ministry of Health (MOH) reported three fatalities from COVID-19 complications yesterday, taking the number of deaths in September alone to 21.

One of the fatalities was a 62-year-old Singaporean man who tested positive for COVID-19 on 6 Sep. He passed away from COVID-19 complications yesterday.

He had a history of diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, and was partially vaccinated against the coronavirus.

A 71-year-old Singaporean woman had died on the same day, having tested positive on 14 Sep.

The woman had a history of diabetes, end-stage renal failure, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia, and was not vaccinated against COVID-19.

A day earlier, a 71-year-old Singaporean man had passed away from COVID-19 complications, after testing positive on 8 Sep.

He had been fully vaccinated but had a history of atrial fibrillation, thyrotoxicosis, and hyperlipidaemia which, together with his advanced age, made him more susceptible to severe illness, MOH said.

With these three deaths, the national death toll now stands at 76.

1,443 COVID-19 Cases; 1,053 From the Community 

For the fifth consecutive day, the number of COVID-19 cases has surpassed the 1,000 mark.

1,424 local infections were reported yesterday, comprising 1,053 community cases and 371 dormitory residents.

Among the locally transmitted infections are 280 seniors above the age of 60.

In addition, 19 imported cases were detected; 14 tested positive upon arrival, while five developed the illness during quarantine.

No New Large Clusters: Existing Clusters Grow

The only good news is that no new large COVID-19 clusters were identified by the health ministry.

However, several of our existing clusters got bigger.

The two preschool clusters linked to Maple Bear Preschool (Orchard Road) and My Little Campus (Yishun) grew to 13 and 40 infections respectively.

Of the 13 infections in Maple Bear, eight are students, three are staff, and two are household members of cases.

Of the 40 cases in My Little Campus, three are staff, 24 are students, and 13 are household members of cases.

In both preschool clusters, transmission has been limited to students and employees.

The already large cluster at Blue Stars Dormitory has also swelled to 243 cases after 24 more infections were reported yesterday. There’s no evidence of spread beyond the dormitory as of yet.

1,142 COVID-19 Cases in Hospitals; 27 in ICU

At the moment, there are 1,142 COVID-19 cases warded in hospitals, most of whom are well and under observation.

165 severe cases require oxygen supplementation and 27 are in critical condition in the intensive care unit.

Of these serious cases, 158 are seniors above the age of 60.

Over the last four weeks, 97.9% of the local cases were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.

As of Friday, 82% of our population has been fully vaccinated. 84% have received at least one dose.

Expert Committee Recommends Booster Shot For Those Aged Between 50 & 59

On Friday (24 Sep), the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination issued an advisory recommending that those aged between 50 and 59 get a COVID-19 booster shot.

They should get the booster six months after completing their initial vaccination regimen.

“COVID-19 cases in Singapore are continuing to rise, and we can expect transmission to persist as we transition to COVID-19 resilience,” the committee said.

“Adults aged 50-59 years have a higher risk of severe disease compared to younger persons, and the current levels of protection could decrease over time.”

It earlier recommended the booster shot for those aged 60 and above, as well as residents of aged care facilities.

“Data from Israel’s nationwide booster vaccination rollout shows that a vaccine booster in persons aged 50-59 years maintains strong protection against COVID-19 without additional safety concerns, similar to that for persons age 60 years and older,” it said.

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