Over 15% of unvaccinated seniors 80 and up landed in ICU; group is at highest risk

Sharon See
Published Fri, Sep 17, 2021 · 06:01 PM

WHILE Singapore has seen a near-five fold increase in daily Covid-19 cases compared with a fortnight ago, the number of serious cases remains low for now, with unvaccinated seniors most at risk of developing severe illness, according to data from the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday.

"This has largely been brought about by the vaccination programme, which has covered 82 per cent of our residents to date," the ministry said in a statement.

Among cases reported between May 1 and Sept 16, 15.2 per cent of unvaccinated individuals who were 80 and above were admitted into the intensive care unit (ICU), making this group the most at risk.

This is followed by unvaccinated individuals from 70 to 79 years old at 6.4 per cent. The figure is 6.3 per cent for unvaccinated individuals in their sixties.

Among partially vaccinated individuals who were 80 and above, 12.9 per cent were admitted into the ICU. The rate dropped to 1.8 per cent for fully vaccinated people of the same age group.

Among fully vaccinated individuals from 70 to 79, 0.4 per cent were admitted into ICU.

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There were no fully vaccinated individuals below the age of 70 in ICU during this period.

Explaining the data during a media briefing, MOH director of medical services Kenneth Mak said: "There's strong evidence now that vaccination protects you from a severe infection and death - not just from international data, but from our own local data."

Noting that there has not been any infected person below the age of 30 needing ICU or dying from Covid-19, he said the risk progressively increases with each decade of life.

Among the unvaccinated, 0.9 per cent of those needing ICU care were 30 to 39 years old. The figure rose to 1.4 per cent for those aged 40 to 49 and 1.9 per cent for those in their fifties. 

The medical conditions that have been found to have increased the risk of a severe infection in younger age groups include diabetes, heart disease and obesity, he said. Pregnant women are also at higher risk of getting a severe infection and requiring ICU care.

Meanwhile, 12.4 per cent of unvaccinated individuals who were 80 and above died during the period, again reflecting the high risk this group faces.

The figure is 2.4 per cent for unvaccinated individuals from 70 to 79 years old and 2.4 per cent for those aged 60 to 69.

Assoc Prof Mak said vaccines offer protective benefit even for those who are only partially vaccinated, with deaths in this category only occurring in seniors above the age of 80.

Only 0.4 per cent of fully vaccinated individuals who are 80 and above died; a 90-year-old fully vaccinated man was reported to have died from Covid-19 on Aug 17.

There have been no other deaths reported among fully vaccinated individuals.

"So even if you have previously hesitated and not registered for vaccinations earlier, it is still a good idea to come forward to get vaccinated now, even while the incidence of Covid-19 cases in the community continues to rise," he said.

Singapore is now in the midst of a surge in new daily cases, with an average of 682 cases per day in the past week, compared with 146 cases per day a fortnight ago.

As of Sept 16, there were 77 cases requiring oxygen supplementation, with 12 in critical condition in the ICU, who represent 1.6 per cent and 0.1 per cent of total infections over the last 28 days.

READ MORE:

  • More Covid-19 patients to recover at home as the default from Sep 18; 100 vending machines dispensing ART kits rolled out
  • Passengers with 21-day travel history to Indonesia can transit through Singapore: MOH

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