Clinics pump in more resources to combat spike in COVID-19 cases, respiratory infections
Dr Xie expects the current wave of infections to persist for several more weeks, as the school holidays kick off and families make overseas trips.
“People are travelling in and out (of Singapore). There may be a rise in ARI (acute respiratory infection) cases in general, which may linger around and may last until mid-July,” she said.
SURGE IN COVID CASES
Similarly, telehealth service WhiteCoat has received up to 10 per cent more patients this month compared with April.
With a large team of in-house and partner doctors, the firm said it has been able to deploy more hands on deck to meet the current demand.
Since the second half of April, the company has placed about 20 per cent more doctors on its roster, especially for peak periods such as in the mornings.
Dr Tan Ming Wei, WhiteCoat’s senior medical director, told CNA: “Based on our data and past numbers, (we were) able to see the uptick quite quickly and predict that the wave was coming.
“So, we have been able to schedule doctors earlier and plan more manpower in advance to cope.”
The company has also increased its medicine inventory over the years, recently moving to a larger warehouse to accommodate more variety and quantity.
SUCH WAVES NOT UNCOMMON
Doctors said the current surge in patients seeking attention over COVID-19 and respiratory infections is not unusual.
“COVID-19, like other flu and viruses, has become a common respiratory infection. We expect two or three waves per year, especially with the emerging strains as well,” said Dr Xie.
Singapore has seen a jump in COVID-19 infection in recent weeks, with the new KP.1 and KP.2 strains under the “FLiRT” variant accounting for about two-third of the cases.
