Weekly Covid-19 infections in SAF up by 17 per cent amid surge in community cases

This article is more than 12 months old

Toh Ting Wei, Transport Correspondent

Feb 28, 2022 03:15 pm

The number of Covid-19 cases in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has increased by about 17 per cent from the previous week, amid a recent surge in community cases owing to the Omicron variant.

Most of these cases were brought in from the community and detected through routine tests, said Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How in Parliament on Monday (Feb 28).

He did not provide specific figures as to how many infections have been recorded.

But Mr Heng added that there was limited onward transmission within Singapore's camps and bases so far. He also noted that the vast majority of SAF personnel who contracted the virus thus far either had mild or no symptoms.

He was responding to a question from Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), who also asked about the safe management measures in place in army camps.

The SAF relies on several measures, including vaccination and regular testing, to prevent large outbreaks of Covid-19, said Mr Heng.

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More than 99.7 per cent of SAF personnel have received two vaccination shots against Covid-19, and close to 87 per cent have received booster shots.

The SAF has also put in place measures such as smaller group sizes and mask-on requirements where possible. Service personnel, including full-time national servicemen, are reminded to abide by safe management measures outside of camps, said Mr Heng.

Those who fall ill are allowed to return to camp only when they have recovered.

Mr Heng added that the authorities are tracking the number of Covid-19 cases closely and will adjust measures if necessary.