“It’s not simply a matter of having extra beds or purchasing new equipment … our medical personnel are stretched and fatigued,” he added.

On Tuesday Singapore reported seven coronavirus-related deaths, while the number of patients in intensive care units rose by four overnight, to 71.

Singapore extends Covid restrictions as hospitals risk ‘being overwhelmed’

Tuesday’s reported fatalities took Singapore’s pandemic death toll to 246, while the new cases mean almost 155,000 people have caught the virus in the city state of 5.45 million, around half of them over the past 28 days.

While the ministry said Tuesday’s 3,994 cases could be just “the usual post-weekend surge”, it said it would nonetheless “closely monitor cases for the next few days, to determine if this is a temporary spike or a further surge in infections”.

‘Are we really ready?’: the risks and rewards as Asia wakes up to travel

Around 84 per cent of Singaporeans have been double-jabbed against the virus. Of the cases reported over the past 28 days, the ministry said almost half those testing positive were fully vaccinated, with the remaining 51.4 per cent either unvaccinated or given one dose.

Meanwhile, Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said it had stopped some 23,100 ivermectin tablets from entering the country between September 10 and October 6.

The parasite-killing drug has surged in popularity as a supposed Covid-19 cure in recent months, despite warnings from health authorities such as the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Side effects of taking the drug include nausea, comas, seizures, vomiting and diarrhoea. In severe cases, it can be fatal.

“[Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority] takes a serious view against those engaged in the illegal import, sale and supply of medicines, including ivermectin, and will take strong enforcement action against such persons,” the ICA said in a Facebook post.

Australia’s Victoria state reopens to travellers from New South Wales

With cases trending lower in New South Wales, including Sydney, residents will be allowed quarantine-free entry into Victoria for the first time in more than three months. Travellers from Melbourne who wish to enter Sydney, however, must undergo a two-week home quarantine.

Daily infections in Victoria rose to 1,841 on Wednesday, up from 1,749 a day earlier. A total of 283 cases were reported in New South Wales, well down from the pandemic high in September.

The relaxation in border rules comes ahead of Victoria lifting the lockdown in Melbourne, the state capital, on Friday as double-dose vaccination rates in people above 16 neared 70 per cent. More restrictions will be eased when rates pass 80 per cent and 90 per cent.

By Friday, Melbourne’s 5 million residents would have endured six lockdowns totalling a cumulative 262 days since March 2020. Australian media say this is the longest in the world, exceeding a 234-day lockdown in Buenos Aires.

Australia had enjoyed a coronavirus-free life most of this year until a Delta outbreak began in Sydney in June, which quickly spread to neighbouring Victoria. Other states have no or very few cases.

Sydney and Canberra exited their months-long strict stay-home restrictions last week after racing through their vaccination targets.

Even with the Delta outbreaks, Australia’s Covid-19 numbers are far lower than many developed nations, with about 149,000 cases and 1,577 deaths.

‘You know nothing about us’: US Senator Ted Cruz scorned for Australia comments

Gunner was responding to the Republican senator from Texas calling his territory’s vaccine policy for workers “Covid tyranny” in an October 14 tweet, when he shared a video of Gunner’s announcement that citizens would be fined if not complying to receive a vaccine.

Cruz noted in the tweet that he has always considered Australia to be the “Texas of the Pacific” because of its rugged independence but now believed the Australian government to be “disgraceful and sad.”

Gunner tweeted a direct response to Cruz’s previous criticism on Sunday, not holding back and tagging the senator in his rebuke.

Australia’s shift in messaging has lessons in leaving zero-Covid behind

“We don’t need your lectures. Thanks, mate,” the response read. “You know nothing about us. And if you stand against a life-saving vaccine, then you sure as hell don’t stand with Australia.”

“Vaccination is so important here because we have vulnerable communities and the oldest continuous living culture on the planet to protect,” Gunner added in his note to Cruz. “Nearly 70,000 Texans have tragically died from Covid. There have been zero deaths in the Territory. Did you know that?”

New Zealand cases fall after record jump

Authorities reported 60 new Covid-19 infections on Tuesday, of which 56 were in Auckland, taking the total number of cases in the current outbreak to 2,158. There have been 28 deaths in total since the pandemic began and 43 people are currently hospitalised because of the virus.

New Zealand had stayed largely virus-free for most of the pandemic until a Delta outbreak in mid-August spread across Auckland and neighbouring regions, prompting tight restrictions on some 1.7 million residents that were extended further this week.

Authorities have warned that infections are likely to trend higher until vaccination rates gather more pace. Some 67 per cent of New Zealand’s population is now fully vaccinated, while 85 per cent have received at least one dose.

The government has shifted to a strategy of living with Covid-19, and education minister Chris Hipkins on Wednesday said senior secondary school students in some areas would return to classrooms from next Tuesday.

“This is a complex issue requiring difficult trade-offs between improving education and increasing potential health risks for children and young people,” Hipkins said at a news conference.

Malaysia’s Covid-19 tracking app reports ‘malicious script’ misuse

Malaysia’s Covid-19 tracking application has been misused by “malicious scripts” to send unsolicited one-time passwords to random phone numbers.

The team running the MySejahtera app, which also verifies Covid-19 vaccinations, said they received complaints from several users about getting OTP messages to verify their phone numbers for check-in QR registrations. Some users, including lawmaker Fahmi Fadzil, received emails saying they have tested positive for Covid-19.

The incident sparked concerns on social media about a likely leak of personal data involving the nation’s 32 million people. The MySejahtera team assured users that their data was not accessed by the “malicious scripts” and that the issue will be fixed soon. “These API end points are blocked and a fix to enhance security will be moved tonight,” the team said.

About 94 per cent of the nation’s adults have completed their Covid-19 vaccination as of Tuesday, while 97 per cent of the adult population had received at least one dose, according to the health ministry. The rapid vaccine roll-out has allowed the government to lift curbs on movements as it aims to reopen all economic and social sectors by the final quarter of the year.

Malaysia reported 5,745 new Covid cases on Tuesday, with the tally staying below the 6,000 mark for a straight second day. New daily infections have remained below the 10,000 mark since October 3.

Reporting by DPA, Reuters, Tribune News Service