With the number of Covid-19 infections rising recently, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned the public that there is misinformation circulating, claiming that the Singapore government wants to reinstate a Circuit Breaker.

In a Facebook post on Dec. 11, 2023, Wong wrote that he was alerted to recent scam posts and message.

The deputy prime minister also warned the public that there are deepfakes of himself endorsing certain commercial products, as well as misinformation that claims the governments wants to bring back the Circuit Breaker.

"These are all falsehoods," Wong affirmed.

He urged the public to stay "vigilant and discerning online".

Spike in number of Covid-19 cases

In a press release on Dec. 8, the Ministry of Health (MOH) stated that Covid-19 infections were on the rise.

The number of Covid-19 cases reported from Nov. 26 to Dec. 2 was estimated to be 32,035, a sharp rise from 22,094 cases in the previous week.

More people were also hospitalised for Covid-19 infection. MOH said that the average daily Covid-19 hospitalisations rose from 136 the week before to 225.

However, MOH assured that the numbers were not as high as those seen during the pandemic.

The increase in cases was attributed to several factors, including waning population immunity and increased travel and community interactions during the year-end travel and festive seasons.

"MOH is closely tracking the trajectory of this wave to ensure that our healthcare capacity is able to cope," said the ministry.

MOH urged the public is urged to exercise precaution, as well as personal and social responsibility, and keep up to date with their Covid-19 vaccinations.

Top photo via Lawrence Wong/Facebook