Previously, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told us that the next COVID-19 wave might hit Singapore in July or August.
Now, he has given us more details on why this is so, and it is mainly due to one thing: waning antibodies.
Waning Antibodies More Susceptible to BA.4 and BA.5
Minister Ong said on 5 June that once a wave subsides, we should expect another wave to come in four to six months.
This is because our antibodies would have started to wane by then. This can be seen happening in other parts of the world like the US or Europe, where a new wave was driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of Omicron.
Additionally, the Health Ministry said earlier that these two variants contain mutations that make them more easily transmissible and more able to bypass the defenses of our immune system.
However, while there have been some cases of the new variants in Singapore, they have not overtaken the original BA.1 or BA.2 strains.
The total number of locally transmitted Covid-19 cases fell to 2,256 on 5 June, down from 2,879 the day before. The number of hospitalisations stood at 290, with 29 requiring oxygen supplementation, and eight people currently in the intensive care unit.
BA.4 and BA.5 COVID-19 Wave
Singapore is currently preparing for a COVID-19 wave driven by BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants, which have been spreading quietly ever since its detection in South Africa.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that the cases there peaked at a lower level than the original Omicron wave. These cases also did not bring about more hospitalisation or deaths, which is good news.
This means that Singapore can be “quietly optimistic” as our vaccination coverage is high, and mask-on rules are still enforced.
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However, there are still certain things we have to do to ensure we can handle another wave. This includes making sure that all healthcare providers are prepared to handle a new wave, as well as freeing up hospital beds to decrease the pressure on hospitals.
Additionally, MOH is focusing on getting eligible seniors above the age of 60 to get their booster shots. There are about 12% of those in that group that hasn’t gotten their third shot yet, despite them being the most vulnerable.
You can read more about MOH’s efforts here.
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