(July 5): Singapore is seeing indications that the current Covid-19 wave of infections is near its peak, “if not at the peak”, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament on Tuesday (July 5).

Authorities assess that the current wave driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants will not be as severe as the Omicron wave experienced earlier this year, Ong said.

Daily Covid-19 cases had risen to 5,700 as of July 4 from about 3,500 at the start of June. Ong said he expects more than 12,000 daily cases on Tuesday, which typically sees higher numbers due to the weekend.

Officials in the financial hub have also appealed for the elderly to take their booster shots to avoid the risk of serious illness. The country is one of the most highly vaccinated societies in the world, with over 90% of its 5.5 million population having been double-vaccinated, and more than three in four having received a booster.

Ong said on Tuesday that around 60,000 people aged 60 years and above had yet to get their boosters. He also reiterated comments made earlier by other officials that there is no need to tighten Covid-19 curbs for now, although reimposing measures cannot be ruled out in a serious wave.