Singapore hits highest daily number of Covid-19 cases

There are 1,356 cases warded in hospitals, 222 cases that require oxygen supplementation, and 34 cases in the intensive care unit as of Friday, according to the ministry.

The ministry also reported that among the 31,057 infected individuals over the past 28 days, 98.2% had no or mild symptoms, thanks to country’s high vaccination rate.

As of Thursday, 82% of the Singapore population has received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, and 85% has received at least one dose — one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

The country lifted its Covid-19 restrictions in August as part of its strategy to live with the virus, allowing fully vaccinated people to dine in restaurants and to gather in groups of five, up from two under the earlier restrictions.

But with the spreading of highly contagious Delta variant, the government has decided to reimpose restrictions on Monday.

The tighter restrictions include limiting social gatherings to two people, making work-from-home the standard again, rather than having 50% of employees in the office, and suspending or moving classes online for students aged 12 and under.

The new measures will be re-evaluated every two weeks, the Health Ministry said.