Singapore reports first Omicron-related death

Singapore on Saturday reported its first Omicron-related death, a 92-year-old unvaccinated woman who caught the virus from a family member, according to a media report. The woman, who had no known medical history, died on Jan 20, about 10 days after catching the virus from a family member, the Channel News Asia reported.

"Upon investigation, doctors have concluded that the death was due to COVID-19 infection, by the Omicron variant," the report said, quoting a health ministry statement.

The woman was unvaccinated and had no known medical history, the ministry said. Meanwhile, Singapore on Friday reported 3,155 new COVID-19 infections, comprising 2,794 local infections and 361 imported ones, taking the nationwide tally to 307,813 since the start of the pandemic. One more person succumbed to the infection, pushing the death toll to 846. On Friday, the government had said that Singapore is likely to see a “significant wave” of Covid-19 cases as the more infectious Omicron variant spreads through the community, which could strain its healthcare capacity.

Addressing a press conference, trade and industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force handling the pandemic, said about 70 per cent of daily cases are now of the Omicron variant, which has become the dominant strain in place of Delta. This proportion could be even higher -- close to 90 per cent or more, he was quoted as saying by The Straits Times newspaper.