We were sent two screenshots taken by a member of a Telegram group:

In the first screenshot, we see a group member sharing an infographic by publication AsiaOne which summarises the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths on 6 October 2021. In the second screenshot, we see another group member who shared what appears to be a screenshot of an app which shows the winning 4D numbers for 6 October 2021. In the app screenshot, we see the number for the second prize – 3562, being circled out.

And in case it wasn’t obvious enough, it seems like the number of community cases on 6 October coincided with the second prize 4D number drawn on the same day.

Coincidences happen, but seriously, what are the odds of something like this happening on the very same date?

Erring on the side of caution, we immediately put our (imaginary) fact-checker hats on and did a check on MOH’s website (for official numbers), AsiaOne’s Facebook page (where the publication uploads these infographics daily), and the Singapore Pools website.

First of all, a check on Singapore Pools’ website for the draw on 6 October reveals the same numbers as seen in the screenshot:

On MOH’s website, we read that a total of 3,577 new cases of COVID-19 infection were detected in Singapore as of 6 October 2021, with 2,932 in the community, 630 in the migrant worker dormitories and with 15 being imported cases.

A check on AsiaOne’s report on the numbers shows the same break down in figures, but it appears that the ‘3562 community cases’ in its infographic is the sum of both community and migrant worker dorm cases.

Therefore, it really depends on how one defines ‘community cases’. While MOH makes the distinction between community and migrant worker dorm cases, AsiaOne’s 6 October infographic seems to conflate both figures. However, it is important to note that AsiaOne themselves seem to have a varying definition of ‘community cases’ as well.

Below are the infographics from 5 October and 4 October:

As seen, there is a more detailed break down of the numbers from each day, and it is clearly stated how many community, dorm, and imported cases were detected. The sum of community and dorm numbers were also listed as ‘local cases’, not ‘community cases’ as seen in 6 October’s infographic.

Regardless, in what can only be aptly expressed as a “walao can buy 4D already” moment, it is true that the number of local cases (i.e. community + dorm) on 6 October 2021 coincided with the second prize 4D number on the same day.