Covid-19: New community cases jump more than 5-fold over past week as KTV cluster grows to 88

• Out of 42 new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases, 34 are linked to the KTV cluster
• This brings the number of cases in the cluster to 88
• A total of 48 new cases were reported on July 15

SINGAPORE — New community cases of Covid-19 recorded over the past week have surged more than five-fold from 23 cases in the week before to 127 in the past week.

However, the number of patients needing oxygen support and in critical condition under intensive care has remained stable over the past week, data from the Ministry of Health (MOH) showed.

In its evening coronavirus update on Thursday (July 15), MOH recorded 42 new locally transmitted cases of the disease, 34 of which have been traced to the growing cluster involving karaoke lounges.

The ministry added one more to the list, up from the 33 it had announced earlier on Thursday afternoon. 

This brings the total number of cases in the cluster to 88.

It is among 25 active clusters in Singapore, with cases in each ranging from three to 94. The KTV cluster is the second-largest, after the one linked to the Bukit Merah View Market and Food Centre.

Four of the locally transmitted cases have not been linked to any previous infections, the ministry said.

Of the 38 linked cases, 17 were detected while in quarantine and 21 through surveillance testing.

The 42 locally transmitted cases were among a total of 48 new Covid-19 cases preliminarily confirmed on Thursday.

The remaining six were imported and had been placed on stay-home notices or isolated on arrival in Singapore.

Four of the imported cases were detected on arrival and two developed the disease while in isolation or while serving a stay-home notice.

Singapore’s total number of coronavirus infections is now 62,852.

Overall, the number of cases with no links in the community has risen from nine in the week before to 16 in the past week.

“The seven-day moving average number of all linked community cases and all unlinked community cases are 15.9 and 2.3 respectively,” MOH said.

HOSPITALISED PATIENTS

There are 180 Covid-19 patients who are hospitalised.

Of these, seven require supplemental oxygen and another one is in critical condition under intensive care.

This has not changed much over the past week even though community cases have surged.

The number of people needing oxygen aid ranged between six and eight over the past week and there were only one or two patients who were in intensive care over the same period.

The current patient under intensive care is aged above 60 and has not been vaccinated.

Six of the seven patients who need oxygen aid are not vaccinated while the last was partially vaccinated. Five are aged over 60 and the other two are between the ages of 40 and 60.

“There is continuing evidence that vaccination helps to prevent serious disease when one gets infected,” MOH said.

“Over the last 28 days, 17 local cases required oxygen supplementation, were admitted to intensive care units or died. Thirteen are unvaccinated, four are partially vaccinated and none are fully vaccinated.”

VACCINATIONS

More than 6.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been given to about 4.08 million people as of Thursday, MOH said.

Some 2.48 million people have completed the full vaccination regimen, consisting of 51,541 recovered persons who received at least one dose and about 2.43 million who received their second dose.