COVID-19: Singapore To Extend Stabilisation Phase For Another Month Through Nov 21

By Massita Ahmad SINGAPORE, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Singapore will extend the Stabilisation Phase for another month through November 21 as more time is needed to stabilise the continuing pressures on its healthcare system, according to the republic’s Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) on COVID-19 on Wednesday. The republic had earlier entered the Stabilisation Phase on Sept 27 and scheduled to end on Oct 25, to slow the rate of transmission and protect its healthcare system. Announcing this at a virtual press conference today, the MTF’s co-chair Lawrence Wong shared a sense of what the Singapore healthcare system is like currently. Given two indicators, Wong said nearly 90 per cent of isolation beds in the Singapore hospital system have been filled while more than two-thirds of intensive care units (ICU) beds were already occupied. “We are trying to add capacity, but it's not simply a matter of having extra beds or purchasing new equipment. Our medical personnel is stretched and fatigued. “And while we are trying to reinforce the team, it will take time for these reinforcements to come in. At the current situation we face a considerable risk of the healthcare system being overwhelmed,” he said. The MTF said currently there are about 1,650 isolation beds and 200 ICU beds in the public hospitals. As of Oct 19, Singapore detected a total of 3,994 new cases of COVID-19 infection, with 3,480 in the community, 501 in the migrant worker dormitories, and 13 imported cases. The republic’s Ministry of Health (MOH) attributed it to a “usual post-weekend surge.” However, MOH said it will have to closely monitor cases for the next few days, to determine if they were a temporary spike or a further surge in infections. Over the last 28 days, of the 74,641 infected individuals, 98.6 per cent had no or mild symptoms, 1.0 per cent required oxygen supplementation, 0.1 per cent required ICU care, and 0.2 per cent had died. In total, to date, Singapore reported 154,725 cases of COVID-19 with 246 death. -- BERNAMA