14-08-2021, 09:47 AM
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Ministry of Health
Ministry of Health News Highlights
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS
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13TH AUG 2021
The local epidemic situation continues to be stable, and we have made further progress in vaccinating our population.
Local Situation Update
2. There has been a steady decline in cases in the last two weeks since the measures in Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) were introduced on 22 July 2021. As at 12 August 2021, the number of new local cases has decreased from an average of 108 cases per day in the week before to 69 cases per day in the past week. Between the week of 30 July 2021, and 6 August 2021, the percentage of cases that was isolated before detection has gone up from 54% to 58%, while the percentage of unlinked cases has dropped from 30% to 25%.
3. There continues to be evidence to show that vaccination helps prevent severe illness and death. Amongst all infected individuals over the last 28 days, 2.4% of those unvaccinated needed Intensive Care Unit (ICU) care or died, compared to 0.2% amongst those who were fully vaccinated. 6.9% of unvaccinated individuals who were infected needed oxygen supplementation, compared to 0.7% of those fully vaccinated.
Expanding the “Vaccinate or Regular Test” Regime
4. As announced by the Multi-Ministry Taskforce on 6 August 2021, unvaccinated individuals from the following settings must be tested twice a week using Antigen Rapid Tests (ART), under the “Vaccinate or Regular Test” (“VoRT”) regime, starting from 1 October 2021, to enable us to detect possible infections early and is key to keeping our community safe:
a) The healthcare sector, eldercare sector and settings with children 12 years and below, as these interact with vulnerable segments of the population;
b) Sectors where there are interactions with customers in higher-risk mask-off settings, and our borders and COVID-19 frontline work. These sectors include F&B establishments, gyms and fitness studios, and personal care services; and
c) The Public Service, including the uniformed services.
5. We have decided to extend the VoRT regime to also include retail mall workers, workers in supermarket outlets, taxi and private hire care drivers, last mile delivery personnel, driving school instructors/private driving instructors, and public transport frontline staff as they also interact more frequently with the general public. Please refer to Annex A for the full list of sectors on the VoRT regime. More details will be released to the sectors by the respective agencies.
6. We strongly encourage all employers to facilitate vaccination for your employees. A fully vaccinated workforce ensures a safe workplace and safe environment for everyone.