Most Infections Likely to Be Asymptomatic or Mild, With Safe Recovery at Home
Singapore’s Multi-Ministry Task Force co-chair, Gan Kim Yong, warned in a press conference on Saturday (Oct. 2) that the country may soon experience more than 5,000 daily Covid-19 cases by next week. However, he emphasized that the vast majority of these cases will either be asymptomatic or exhibit very mild symptoms, allowing most individuals to recover safely at home.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) also indicated that daily cases could surpass 3,200 in the near future, following the current trajectory. As of September 27, Singapore entered the Stabilisation Phase, which included tighter restrictions on dining-in, an extension of Home-Based Learning, and a default Work-From-Home policy. The effects of these measures are expected to take about a week or more to fully manifest.
While the rate of increase in cases appears to have slightly slowed, with the time taken for community cases to double increasing from eight to ten days, the number of patients requiring intensive care remains low at around 0.2%. Currently, 34 ICU beds are occupied. However, MOH acknowledged that as daily case numbers rise, the number of patients needing ICU care could also increase. The situation will continue to be closely monitored in the weeks ahead.
