Singapore’s Covid‑19 Surge Hits 15,851 New Cases—But Our Growth Rate Is Slipping
Daily Breakdown
- 15,851 fresh cases added on Tuesday, March 15.
- Just two days this month saw daily counts stay below the 10,000 mark—making it a rare dip.
Growth Rate Slips Toward Zero
- Weekly infection growth rate fell to 0.8 (down from 0.84 yesterday).
- This is the lowest rate since December 30 last year, when it dipped to 0.73.
- For 14 straight days, from March 2 onward, the rate has remained below 1.0.
What the Numbers Mean
The growth rate compares community cases from the current week to the week before. A figure above 1 signals a rise in new infections; below 1 indicates a decline. Even with high daily counts, the shrinking growth rate suggests the situation is stabilizing, though lockdown isn’t out of the question just yet.
The number of new cases on Tuesday was also lower than last Tuesday’s, when 21,983 cases were reported.
Tuesdays typically have the highest case numbers in the week.
Experts previously told The Straits Times that this was likely because clinics are usually shut over the weekend, causing people to delay their visits to the doctor until Monday. This means that their test results will be reported only on Tuesday.
There were also 1,311 hospitalisations as at noon on Tuesday. This is up from Monday’s figure of 9,042 infections and 1,310 hospitalisations.
Six deaths were also announced on Tuesday, down from eight on Monday.
There were also 40 patients in the intensive care unit, and 191 who needed oxygen supplementation.
Of the local cases, 13,786 were detected through antigen rapid tests (ARTs) and were assessed by a doctor to have mild symptoms and to be of low risk.
Another 1,900 cases were detected through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.
ALSO READ: No changes to Covid-19 curbs for now given high number of daily local cases: MOH
There were 165 new imported cases, of which 35 were detected through PCR tests and 130 through ARTs.
As at Monday, Singapore has recorded a total of 964,329 Covid-19 cases and 1,159 deaths.
About 95 per cent of the eligible population in Singapore have completed their full vaccination regimen, and 70 per cent of the total population have received their booster shot.
See the full update from MOH here.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
COVID-19coronavirusinfectious diseaseMinistry of Health
