SINGAPORE, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in parliament on Monday that the city-state government estimates about 60 percent of local residents are likely to have been infected with COVID-19, Singapore-based Asian news network CNA reported.

Ong added that it does not mean Singapore now has "herd immunity", as scientists around the world do not think herd immunity is achievable because the virus will continue to mutate, escape the protection of vaccines and infect people.

The minister said that Singapore is still in the middle of an infection wave driven by the Omicron variant BA.5, but over the last 10 days, infection numbers have been falling.

Ong said that Singapore should see the wave subsiding further this week.

As of July 31, Singapore registered a total of 1,714,056 COVID-19 cases, causing a total of 1,500 deaths. ■