Singapore health ministry issues travel advisory as COVID-19 cases rise; India braced for JN.1 variant
Economic Times. The advisory also applies to Indian travelers. According to the report, the ministry estimated around 56,043 COVID cases in the week of 3-9 December 2023, a rise from 32,035 cases in the previous week.
Though the Singapore government doubts the JN.1 variant for the rise in cases, there is still no clear indication that BA.2.86 or JN.1 are more transmissible. Even clarity on JN.1 causing more severe disease than other circulating variants is absent. ALSO READ: COVID-19 sub-strain JN.1: ‘Monitoring situation, we should be alert,’ says Kerala Health Minister Veena George Meanwhile, the island country's health ministry in its report said that average daily coronavirus hospitalizations rose to 350 from 225 a week earlier.
To battle the disease, the health ministry is collaborating with public hospitals ensuring enough manpower, and deferring non-urgent elective procedures. Making beds available for urgent cases that require immediate medical attention and utilizing step-down facilities like Transitional Care Facilities and alternative care models like Mobile Inpatient Care are being considered. Apart from this, the health ministry said, as quoted by ET, that it will be opening a new COVID-19 Treatment Facility (CTF) at Singapore EXPO Hall 10 to provide care for more than 80 stable COVID-19 patients who do not require intensive hospital care.
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