Singapore reported 1,939 new COVID-19 cases on September 26, a daily record since the start of the pandemic and marking the sixth consecutive day new infections have exceeded the 1,000 mark.

Of the new cases, 417 were people above the age of 60.

There were also five imported cases, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in an update released to the media at about 11pm.

The same day, the country also recorded two more fatalities, taking the national death toll to 78. There have been 23 deaths in September so far, a new monthly record.

The number of deaths tended to increase when Singapore opened on August 10, with a total of 23 cases in September, compared with 18 cases in August. Singapore has mobilized additional personnel from the Singapore Air Force (SAF) and the People's Association (PA) to support patients receiving treatment at home.

From September 27, Singapore began to tighten social distancing measures, reducing the number of people allowed to gather from 5 people to 2 people. Working at home is required for jobs that can work remotely, and elementary schools begin to implement a 2-week online learning. However, Singapore authorities recommend that elderly people should not attend gatherings, such as religious activities because this group is still considered vulnerable despite being fully vaccinated.

Singapore has now reached the vaccination rate for 82 percent of the population. Singapore officials forecast the number of new infections could reach over 3,000 cases a day by early October.

Source: VNA