60% of Singapore residents may catch COVID-19

Illustrative image (Photo: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/)

Hanoi (VNA) – An estimated 60% of Singapore residents have likely caught COVID-19, according to Singaporean Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

Speaking at the Parliament on August 1, Kung said this figure does not mean Singapore now has “herd immunity” because scientists around the world do not think it is achievable as the coronavirus will continue to mutate, escape the protection of vaccines and infect people.

According to the health official, Singapore is still in the middle of an infection wave driven by the Omicron variant BA.5.

As of July 31, Singapore recorded a total of 1,714,056 COVID-19 cases, including 1,500 deaths.

The same day, the Philippines announced that it counted 3,553 new infections and 10 deaths, lifting the national tally to 3,780,178 and 60,737 fatalities. The country reported the highest single-day tally on January 15, with 39,004 new cases.

To date, the Philippines has completed the vaccination against COVID-19 for over 71.4 million people out of its 110 million./.

VNA