Singapore Army to deploy 100 soldiers to help MOH deal with Covid-19 Omicron surge

SINGAPORE — The Singapore Army is deploying soldiers to help the Ministry of Health (MOH) deal with the surge in Covid-19 Omicron cases.

About 100 soldiers will be involved in the deployment, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in a Facebook post on Friday (Feb 11).

“They will beef up the national call centre to provide guidance, answer queries and reassure Covid-19 patients in the weeks ahead,” Dr Ng said.

Singapore reported 10,686 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, as well as one fatality.

Last Sunday, MOH said that hospital emergency departments were seeing a high number of patients, resulting in long queues and waiting times.

Most of those patients did not require emergency care, the ministry said, adding that such unnecessary visits risk compromising the standard of care for other patients who genuinely need emergency attention.

It also advised the public to seek emergency treatment at hospitals only for serious or life-threatening conditions such as chest pain, breathlessness and uncontrollable bleeding.

“This allows those with severe illness in need of emergency care to be attended to quickly. It also helps to preserve our hospital capacity for those who truly need acute hospital care,” MOH added.

As of Thursday, Singapore has recorded 439,640 Covid-19 cases and 882 deaths since the start of the pandemic. CNA