Singapore reports 4,498 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday night (Jan 31) but number of new local cases takes a dip

Singapore reported 4,226 new community coronavirus cases on Jan 30, 2022, down from 4,959 the day before. - The Straits Times/ANN

SINGAPORE, Jan. 31 (The Straits Times/ANN): Singapore reported 4,498 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, bringing the total tally to 348,330.

Of the new cases, 1,424 cases were detected through PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests and 3,074 through ART (antigen rapid test) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

Among the PCR cases, 1,164 were local transmissions and 260 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, there were 3,062 local transmissions and 12 imported cases, respectively.

A total of 709 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with 12 cases in intensive care units.

No death was reported from Covid-19 on Sunday, keeping the total death toll at 854, the ministry said.

Of the 709 people are now hospitalised with Covid-19 - of the new cases, 60 require oxygen support and 12 are in the intensive care unit (ICU), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its latest daily update.

More people were warded in hospitals, compared with 594 on Saturday, and 11 more required oxygen support. There was also one less person in the ICU.

Singapore reported 4,226 new community coronavirus cases on Sunday, down from 4,959 the day before.

About 65 per cent of them or 3,062 were detected by antigen rapid tests, indicating that they had no symptoms or only mild symptoms.

The remaining 1,164 were detected through polymerase chain reaction tests.

Another 272 cases were detected in travellers entering Singapore.

The weekly infection growth rate as at Sunday was 2.02, meaning that it is taking less than one week for case numbers to double.

This was down from the infection growth rate reported on Saturday, which was 2.24.

The rate refers to the ratio of community cases for the past week, over the week before. A rate of more than one shows that the number of new weekly Covid-19 cases is increasing.

The total number of Covid-19 cases that Singapore has detected since the first case in January 2020 now stands at 348,330 with 854 deaths.

Some 92 per cent of Singapore's eligible population have completed the full vaccination regimen, and 58 per cent of the total population have received a vaccine booster shot. - The Straits Times/ANN