11,399 local COVID-19 cases on Oct 11; increase tied to XBB variant

As of Tuesday (Oct 11), there are 11,399 new local cases of COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) latest figures.

This is more than double the previous figure on Monday, which had 4,589 local cases. 

In a press release on Tuesday, MOH attributed this increase to the new XBB variant, but emphasised that there is no evidence of the variant causing more severe illnesses. 

It added that the large majority of patients continue to report “mild symptoms” such as sore throat or a slight fever, especially if they have been vaccinated.

The XBB variant is an emerging Omicron subvariant that has also been detected in countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, India, Japan and the United States since August.

According to MOH, the increase in hospitalised cases is in line with the overall increase in cases. There are currently 490 hospitalised cases, compared to 1,600 at the peak of the Delta wave and about 800 at the peak of the Omicron wave.

The ministry attributes the low number of severe cases to resilience built up through vaccination and previous waves of infection, adding that it is monitoring the trajectory closely.

MOH also announced that it will bring forward the administration of the bivalent Moderna/Spikevax vaccine from Oct 17 to Oct 14, citing reasons such as the rise of infections caused by the XBB Omicron subvariant and having completed their preparations early.