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Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung gave an update today (Jan. 3) about the Covid-19 situation in Singapore.

He said that though Singapore's Covid-19 situation is "stable so far", the increasing number of Omicron cases here means that an Omicron wave is imminent.

Singapore needs to be prepared for Omicron wave

Ong said that the Omicron variant currently accounts for 17 per cent of local cases.

"This means that an Omicron wave is imminent, and we need to be prepared for it," he warned.

Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong gave a similar warning on Dec. 27, 2021, saying that Singapore can expect a new wave of Omicron cases "in the coming days and weeks".

Low number of ICU cases and deaths

However, Ong said that the Covid-19 situation in Singapore "continues to be stable so far".

The number of active local cases over the past week is now 1,200 compared to more than 26,000 when cases last peaked.

There are also currently "around 20" ICU cases, compared to a peak of about 170 cases.

Ong also said that deaths are "thankfully low".

"All these signal that the recent Covid-19 wave due to the Delta variant has subsided, at least for now," he said.

Vaccinations and boosters are key response to Omicron

In dealing with the "imminent" Omicron wave, Ong said that vaccinations and boosters are key.

Currently, 87 per cent of the total population have completed the full regimen of vaccines, and 88 per cent have received at least one dose.

At the end of 2021, 41 per cent of the population has received booster shots. This is out of 70 per cent of the population that is or will be eligible for a booster.

More than 20,000 children aged nine to 11 have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Ong also shared that Singapore is expecting new supplies of the Covid-19 vaccine this month, which will aid in the booster and vaccination exercise.

"We will keep making progress, everyone needs to continue to do our part and exercise civic responsibility, and 2022 will be a better year than the last," he said.

Read his full post here:

Top photo via Zhangxin Zheng