SINGAPORE, June 21 (Xinhua) - Singapore reported 7,109 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total tally to 1,378,090.

Of the new cases, 502 were detected through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests and 6,607 through antigen rapid test (ART) tests, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health.

Among the PCR cases, 452 were local transmissions and 50 were imported cases. Among the ART cases with mild symptoms and assessed to be of low risk, 5,941 were local transmissions and 666 were imported cases.

A total of 326 cases are currently warded in hospitals, with nine cases in intensive care units.

No death was reported from COVID-19 on Tuesday, keeping the total death toll at 1,405, according to the ministry.

The ministry also said on Tuesday that Singapore has witnessed a 23 percent week-on-week increase in COVID-19 community infections, and the rise is largely driven by the increased spread of newer Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5.

Although the BA.2 subvariant still accounts for the bulk of COVID-19 infections in the city-state, the proportion of BA.4 and BA.5 infections is rising.

About 30 percent of the COVID-19 cases in the community in the past week were cases with BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants, as compared to 17 percent and 3 percent for the previous two weeks, respectively.

"The surge in BA.4 and BA.5 cases is likely to continue, driven by their higher transmissibility compared to BA.2," said the ministry.