And Omicron, with its unpredictability, started with few hospitalizations, but those numbers slowly grew.
And while it is still relatively low compared to the height of the Delta wave, based on the daily infographics, we've also seen an increase in vaccinated hospitalizations. While these patients have mostly survived the pandemic, the trend is still alarming, and Dr Manzanero explained that their underlying conditions had to be taken into consideration.
Dr. Russell Manzanero, Medical Epidemiologist, MOH
"We have not look closely at the breakdown based on age groups, but we are still seeing a number of individuals being admitted even though they are not being admitted in the ICU, we are seeing that individuals are still accessing services, for respiratory therapy or oxygen therapy, now that is something that we are seeing even among the vaccinated population. In the vaccinated population we have to take note that this is also individuals having an underlying condition, so even if you are fully vaccinated, but you have an underlying condition, we ask that you stay on those medications, stay vaccinated. Even though Omicron is mild, we are not saying its harmless, it still can end up in the hospital as well, so the paediatric population we haven't seen many cases in hospitalized children, but that is something that we would want to look at closer, especially in the coming days."
