Singapore to investigate ‘unusual’ surge in COVID-19 cases

Singapore’s health ministry has said that it is looking into an “unusual surge” in infections after the city-state reported 5,324 new cases of COVID-19 — the most since the beginning of the pandemic.

Singapore also recorded 10 new deaths from the disease on Wednesday, increasing the toll to 349.

“The infection numbers are unusually high today, mostly due to many COVID-positive cases detected by the testing laboratories within a few hours in the afternoon,” the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement on Wednesday night.

“MOH is looking into this unusual surge in cases within a relatively short window, and closely monitoring the trends for the next few days.”

As of Wednesday, a total of 20,895 people in Singapore are recovering from COVID-19 in their own homes. Meanwhile, 4,589 are in community care facilities and 849 are in treatment facilities, while 1,777 are in hospital for observation, the MOH statement added.

A recent spike in infections after the relaxation of some restrictions has prompted Singapore to postpone further reopening.

The city-state extended its social curbs last week to contain the spread of COVID-19 for about a month in order to ease the pressure on the healthcare system.

More than 80 percent of Singapore’s population has been vaccinated against the virus.