Singapore health minister says Omicron wave has ‘peaked’

Bloomberg: Singapore’s omicron wave has “clearly peaked” and is fast subsiding, health minister Ong Ye Kung said, highlighting a development that could pave the way for further easing of Covid curbs in the city-state.

“The number hospitalised due to Covid-19 is falling gradually, with a lag compared to the fall in daily cases,” Ong said in a Facebook post.

Weekly changes in daily cases and emergency hospital admissions “are two numbers that we are watching closely, as we plan our next set of easing measures,” Ong added. The week-on-week case ratio is now almost 0.7, down from over 0.9 a few days ago, he said.

His comments came after the authorities simplified a series of pandemic-induced restrictions and further relaxed entry rules for vaccinated travelers. The tropical island, which boasts a 95% vaccination rate among the eligible population, is proceeding with plans to treat the virus as endemic while ensuring its healthcare system isn’t overwhelmed.

Despite the encouraging signs, Ong said local hospitals remain busy and under stress, due to the large number of non-Covid related emergency admissions.