With Covid-19 cases on the rise, what should I do to protect myself?

Seniors and vulnerable people should get booster jabs and wear masks, say experts

- Zhaki Abdullah

There has been a recent uptick in Covid-19 cases here, with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) stating on May 13 that the estimated number of such cases stood at 14,200 for the week of April 27 to May 3, up from 11,100 the previous week.

This comes more than two years after Singapore lifted all its pandemic restrictions in February 2023.

With Covid-19 now treated as an endemic disease, do people need to return to precautions such as regular mask wearing and hand sanitising to protect themselves? AskST takes a look.

Q Why is there a spike in Covid-19 cases now?

A MOH and CDA said that among the possible reasons for the current increase in cases is waning population immunity.

This could be down to waning immunity in individuals who have not taken a Covid-19 shot in some time, said Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease expert with Ro-phi Clinic.

Lower uptake of the updated vaccines also means that newer strains of the coronavirus can overcome existing immunity trained by "out-of-date vaccines", Dr Leong said.

Fewer people taking the updated vaccines can also result in reduced herd immunity, he added.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, in a Facebook post on May 13, said: "As with other endemic respiratory diseases, periodic Covid-19 waves are expected throughout the year."

The two main Covid-19 variants currently circulating in Singapore are LF.7 and NB.1.8 - both descended from the JN.1 variant that emerged in August 2023 - which currently account for more than two-thirds of cases here.