Doctor James Fong.

The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health says that the current surge in COVID-19 cases suggests the presence of the Omicron variant in our community.

Doctor James Fong says he strongly believes that Omicron is already here adding that this will be confirmed once the Ministry receives the result of the samples sent to Australia for testing.

Dr Fong says they continue to monitor the current outbreak using indicators such as daily case numbers, hospitalizations, test positivity, and deaths.

He adds the current escalation of cases might be attributed to both Delta and Omicron.

“In terms of how I see the situation turning out, we have got Omicron in the community. If the samples come back and say it’s not Omicron, I would send it back and tell them to test again. That’s how strongly I believe we have Omicron around.”

Doctor Fong says they aim to suppress ongoing community transmission to a level that will minimize hospitalization, severe illness, and deaths.

The Ministry is prioritizing the promotion of individual COVID safe measures, followed by setting-based measures.