Singapore cannot lock down indefinitely but also cannot 'simply let go and let things rip' in COVID-19 fight: PM Lee Hsien Loong
By Sue-Ann Tan, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
New measures were announced on Saturday (Oct 23) by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 to help Singapore live with the Covid-19 pandemic.
The announcements came after the task force said on Wednesday that the tighter curbs currently in place - including restricting group sizes for dining in to two people - will be extended for a month till Nov 21.
The new measures are:
1. Only fully vaccinated employees can return to workplaces from next year
From Jan 1, 2022, only employees who are fully vaccinated, or have recovered from Covid-19 within the past 270 days, can return to the workplace.
Unvaccinated employees will not be allowed to return to the workplace unless they have tested negative for Covid-19 before returning, and they will need to pay for the costs of these tests, MOH said.
This should be a pre-event test at an MOH-approved Covid-19 test provider, and must be valid for the duration that the employees are required to be present at the workplace.
2. Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine to be included in the national vaccination programme
The Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine will be included in the national vaccination programme, following the Health Sciences Authority's interim authorisation of the vaccine under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR).
All individuals who have received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine will be regarded as fully vaccinated for four months after the second dose, or Dec 31 this year, whichever is later.
However, the full regime for Sinovac should include three doses, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, with the third dose given 90 days after the second.
The Sinovac vaccine will be administered for free from the Ministry of Health (MOH)-assigned vaccination centre at Raffles City Convention Centre, on top of the 11 selected Public Health Preparedness Clinics and private clinics that have already been approved to provide the vaccine.
MOH will also offer the three-dose primary series regime of Sinovac under the programme to those who have not completed their full course of vaccination, including people who had only received one or two doses of Sinovac previously.
But Sinovac will not be offered as a booster for people who had already completed two doses of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna) and did not develop allergies or severe adverse reactions.
These measures take into account the relatively lower vaccine efficacy of Sinovac compared with mRNA vaccines, as recommended by the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination, MOH explained.
The vaccine has also not been approved for general use for individuals aged 12 to 17 years. But for those in this age band who are medically ineligible to complete a full two-dose regime of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, MOH will offer a three-dose primary series using Sinovac under a dedicated public health programme.
3. Concessions for those medically ineligible for vaccination
MOH will make a special concession to exempt some people from the vaccination-differentiated measures, if they are certified to be medically ineligible for all vaccines under the national vaccination programme.
This means they will be able to enter premises such as shopping malls and hawker centres and participate in some activities from Nov 1.
More details on the medical criteria and timeline for this exemption will be provided later.
4. Pregnant Covid-19 patients can recover at home
The Home Recovery Programme, which is now the safe and default option for the majority of Covid-19 patients, will be extended to pregnant Covid-19 patients. They must also be fully vaccinated, and are below 35 years old and less than 26 weeks pregnant.
These patients would be clinically assessed at selected hospitals to be suitable for home recovery before commencing the programme.
5. Fully vaccinated seniors to resume community activities
The People's Association will organise activities for fully vaccinated seniors according to prevailing safe management measures.
These activities for fully vaccinated seniors will be held in a safe manner at specific sites and dedicated timings, MOH said.
The People's Association will release more details at a later date.
MOH also announced updates to Singapore's border measures. They are:
1. More fully vaccinated domestic workers can enter the country
MOH will facilitate the entry of more fully vaccinated domestic workers to meet urgent domestic and caregiving needs of local households, while regulating the numbers carefully as the global situation evolves, it said.
2. Review of countries or region categories
All travellers with a 14-day travel history to Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka prior to departure to Singapore will be allowed to enter and transit through Singapore from 11.59pm on Oct 26.
From 1 January 2022, only those fully vaccinated can return to workplace; others must test negative for Covid-19
BY Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
From Jan 1 next year, staff who return to the workplace must be fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 in the past 270 days.
This expansion of vaccination-differentiated measures means that unvaccinated people will need to test negative for Covid-19 before they can return to the workplace. They will need to pay for these antigen rapid tests, which are valid for 24 hours.
Announcing this at a press conference on Saturday (Oct 23), Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong said 96 per cent of Singapore's workforce has been fully vaccinated. There are approximately 113,000 unvaccinated workers, more than 10 per cent of whom are seniors.
Mr Gan, who is co-chair of the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19, also outlined other moves aimed at stabilising Singapore's Covid-19 situation, including adding China's Sinovac vaccine to the national vaccination programme, along with the existing Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna vaccines.
This is to cater to people who cannot get vaccinated with the current mRNA vaccines.
Three doses of the Sinovac vaccine will be required for a person to be considered fully vaccinated.
However, Sinovac will not be used as a booster for people who have already gotten two doses of an mRNA vaccine.
Singapore is also changing its healthcare protocols to allow infected pregnant women to recover at home, as long as they are fully vaccinated, aged under 35 and less than 26 weeks pregnant.
The task force also said that people who are medically ineligible for any Covid-19 vaccines will be given special concessions to enter premises where vaccination is required, such as malls. More details will be released by the Ministry of Health (MOH) later.
The task force had on Wednesday announced that the tighter curbs currently in place - including restricting group sizes for dining in to two people - will be extended for a month till Nov 21.
MOH on Saturday reiterated that stabilisation measures will not stay static in the coming month, adding that it is looking at several indicators to decide its next steps.
At present, the weekly infection growth rate - that is, the ratio of community cases in the past week over the week before - is now slightly above one.
This means infections are continuing to rise and put pressure on the healthcare system, it said.
If this number drops below one and the hospital situation remains stable, it will consider some calibrated easing of measures. This will include allowing members from the same household to dine out together.
Elaborating on this point, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, co-chair of the task force, said the Government looks at three indicators in deciding whether or not to move ahead with easing.
These are the daily rate of increase in infection numbers, the proportion of infected people who fall seriously ill and the occupancy rates in hospitals, especially intensive care units.
MOH's daily reports will be updated with some of these numbers, so the public will be able to track them as well, he said.
Singapore's 'middle path' approach has prevented Covid-19 deaths while still making progress: Ong Ye Kung
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
Countries that are living normally today had paid a big price early on, with big waves of Covid-19 infections and far higher death rates as a result, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Saturday (Oct 23).
He reiterated that Singapore has chosen a unique approach unlike most countries, which opted to either eradicate or live with the coronavirus.
Singapore did both - adopting an eradication strategy in 2020 and a large part of 2021 when its population was not protected by vaccines. After a large majority of the population was vaccinated, it moved step-by-step toward living with Covid-19.
This has protected the vulnerable and prevented hospitals from being overwhelmed, and the country is making progress even as it battles the current wave of transmissions, he said.
"We see many countries, now living life quite normally, with quite a bit of envy," Mr Ong said at a press conference.
"They took a living with Covid-19 approach from the start... We need to remember that today, when they live normally with Covid-19, they paid a big price."
Countries such as the United States, Britain and Italy saw around 2,000 coronavirus deaths per million population.
Even Denmark, with around the same number of people as Singapore, has around 460 deaths per million population.
In contrast, Singapore has seen 294 deaths as at Friday. This works out to about 50 deaths per million population.
"We have so far given our people very strong protection compared to many other countries in the world," Mr Ong added.
"But still, we mourn the loss of every life with their families and their loved ones, and we cannot let up the fight."
Elaborating on Singapore's "middle ground" approach, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong stressed that the Republic is trying very hard not to veer to either extreme.
This means not keeping measures static, but also not opening up to the extent where the healthcare system is at risk of being overwhelmed, he said.
Instead, the Government's approach will be to open up in settings where risks are deemed to be more acceptable, after discussions with experts.
"It will not be perfect, but by and large, where we assess the risks to be not as high, to be within acceptable limits, then we will want to move first, as we have been doing for travel."
Singapore's Covid-19 restrictions are in place for an additional month until Nov 21, although the Government plans to review the extended measures at the two-week mark and adjust them based on the community situation.
At Saturday's press conference, the multi-ministerial task force tackling the pandemic was asked about the possibility of restrictions being eased ahead of Deepavali on Nov 4.
Mr Wong replied that this is not the first time that the country is celebrating a festival in the middle of the pandemic.
If the weekly infection growth rate drops below one and the hospital situation remains stable, the task force plans to ease measures in three areas - school activities, team sports and family dining.
The weekly infection growth rate is the ratio of cases in the past week over the week before.
"Beyond that, I know there would be a further desire for other things," he said.
"But I think we will have to consider these all separately and carefully, looking at the overall infection situation."
Three 'brakes' needed to control spread of COVID-19 in Singapore: Ong Ye Kung
By Wallace Woon, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
Instead of a Freedom Day, which saw the near-complete lifting of measures in some countries, or a complete lockdown, Singapore has opted for a more calibrated approach in living with Covid-19.
Speaking on Saturday (Oct 23), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said this means allowing some activities and putting restrictions on others.
"If we can take that approach, and live with some inconsistencies, then we can tackle the real challenge - which is how can we progressively reopen while keeping severe disease incidence rate and death rates as low as possible," he added.
To this end, Singapore is using three "brakes" to slow down the rate of infections and curb transmission of Covid-19 in Singapore: border restrictions, vaccinations and safe management measures.
Addressing concerns about the country opening up to international travellers, Mr Ong said border controls were important when Singapore had few local cases.
This was to avoid importing large numbers of individuals from countries that had high infection rates.
"The most common question I've come across is: Why are we reopening borders, yet not allowing larger groups for dining?
"This is because the brake of border control is no longer very relevant."
The situation has changed, he said.
After going through big transmission waves for many months, the pandemic situations in many countries have stabilised, the minister said, with the infection rates in some of them even lower than in Singapore.
"So we can open up travel lanes with these countries safely," said Mr Ong.
To make it safer, Singapore allows only travellers who are fully vaccinated, with pre-departure or on-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing.
"This is why imported infection numbers are very low every day, and it's a very small fraction of total community infections."
He noted the benefits to the population in opening up Singapore.
"First, Singaporeans can travel for study, work or leisure, with their family.
"Second, we can start to bring in much needed workers to complete our Build-to-Order (BTO) projects to complete public infrastructure and other projects that we need," said Mr Ong, who was speaking at a press conference by the multi-ministry task force tackling the pandemic.
The minister noted that with the easing of border measures, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) can start allowing in more domestic workers to relieve the stress faced by many families in Singapore.
To this end, Mr Ong said MOM will increase the entry of foreign domestic helpers from the current 200 a week to 1,000 a week.
Vaccinations and boosters
Mr Ong noted that around 20,000 individuals are taking their booster shots every day. Close to 660,000 individuals have taken their booster vaccination shots to date.
He added that 94 per cent of the population have either taken or booked their vaccinations slots.
Among the 6 per cent in the eligible population who remain unvaccinated, 70,000 are seniors.
"Some of these unvaccinated individuals are unable to take the mRNA vaccines due to medical reasons. Others may just simply prefer a non-mRNA vaccine.
"So we will make the Sinovac vaccine more accessible to them to encourage them to get vaccinated," said Mr Ong.
He added that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has decided to take the Sinovac vaccine under the national vaccination programme.
"The Sinovac vaccine will be administered as a three-dose vaccine. The second dose will be 28 days later, and third will be 90 days later," said Mr Ong.
Three doses of the Sinovac vaccine will be required for a person to be considered fully vaccinated, said MOH.
The minister noted that the changes will increase the demand for the Sinovac vaccine, and added that the ministry is in the process of securing more supplies for the specific usage.
The Sinovac vaccine, however, will not be used as boosters.
"For those who have already taken two doses of mRNA vaccines, the Expert Committee (on Covid-19 Vaccination) recommends, and MOH agrees, that they should receive either of the mRNA vaccines as boosters," said Mr Ong.
The Sinovac vaccine will not be used for children below 18 as the manufacturer did not provide safety or efficacy data for them.
For children between 12 and 17 years of age who may be allergic or develop a side effect to the mRNA vaccines, Mr Ong said MOH will be starting a separate dedicated public health programme for them.
Safe management measures
Mr Ong noted that some people feel that the rules do not seem to be consistent across settings.
"We understand everyone misses doing something they love, whether it is meeting friends, going to parties, playing sports or dining out... The businesses too want to do business properly, and not have to receive financial assistance. We share all these desires, and we will eventually get there."
He said the inconsistencies, and the confusion across settings, are difficult problems to solve.
"We know the extreme solutions are easy to understand... Freedom Day, where all restrictions are removed, or locked down, where everything is disallowed.
Mr Ong said Singapore is taking a middle path between the extremes.
He said the key is to protect the vulnerable, noting that 98.7 per cent of people infected today have mild or no symptoms.
"To protect the vulnerable, the most important aspect is to ensure hospitals are not overwhelmed. Then our health care workers can do their best to save lives."
The differentiated measures for the vaccinated and unvaccinated are very important, he added.
This is to help limit the exposure of unvaccinated individuals, especially seniors, to settings where they could be infected.
If this can be done successfully, then Singapore can progressively open up, with testing as a further layer of protection.
"Our approach is unique in the world. Most countries take either of the following two approaches - eradication or living with Covid. We did both.
"We implemented an eradication strategy last year and the last part of this year, when we were not protected by vaccines.
"A few months ago, after we vaccinated the large majority of our population, we moved to a living-with-Covid approach, but do it progressively step by step, not with a big bang," said Mr Ong.
He noted that many countries now live life quite normally.
But they took the living-with-Covid approach from the start and went through big waves of transmissions and suffered many deaths.
"They paid a big price. For countries such as the United States, Britain, Italy, Spain and France, the death rates there are about 2,000 deaths per million population.
"In places like Germany, Switzerland and Netherlands, it is about 1,000 deaths per million population."
In Malaysia, where Mr Ong said the situation is fast stabilising, it is over 800 deaths per million population.
"We are currently at about 50 deaths per million population, far lower than the rest.
"So we have so far given our people very strong protection, compared to many other countries in the world.
"But still, we mourn the loss of every life with their families and their loved ones and we cannot let up the fight," added Mr Ong.
Unvaccinated seniors account for two-thirds of COVID-19 ICU cases and deaths in past 28 days
By Clara Chong, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
Unvaccinated seniors - who make up about 1.5 per cent of the total population - accounted for two-thirds of Covid-19 deaths and intensive care unit (ICU) cases in the past 28 days.
The multi-ministry task force handling the pandemic shared these grim statistics at a press conference on Saturday (Oct 23), as they stressed the importance of getting vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Singapore's director of medical services Kenneth Mak noted that some have said Covid-19 is now "an epidemic of the unvaccinated getting infected, getting severely ill or even dying".
"This has been observed in other countries and, regrettably, it now appears to be the case also in Singapore," he said.
Associate Professor Mak provided other statistics to reinforce his point.
Of the Covid-19 cases here, just over 17 per cent were aged above 60.
About 3.5 per cent of all unvaccinated local cases required either oxygen supplementation or ICU care, in contrast with 0.6 per cent of all vaccinated cases, he said.
He added that an unvaccinated person is 5.8 times more at risk of getting a severe infection, compared with vaccinated people.
Turning to those who died from Covid-19, he said the relative risk of the unvaccinated dying of the virus is 11.7 times higher than that for vaccinated people.
Unvaccinated seniors aged above 80 were 7.2 times more at risk of needing ICU care or dying than their vaccinated peers, he added.
Prof Mak also cautioned younger people who believe they do not need to get vaccinated as their chances of getting severely ill or needing ICU care is low. They remain at greater risk than those who are vaccinated, he said.
For instance, those aged 60 to 69 are 27 times more at risk of needing ICU care or dying if they are unvaccinated.
Prof Mak noted some people have pointed out that the absolute numbers of those in hospital who have been vaccinated appear to be greater than those who are unvaccinated.
"That is true. And this is because the total number of people who are vaccinated in Singapore is far greater than the remaining people who are unvaccinated," he said.
About 84 per cent of the population has been vaccinated against Covid-19.
That is why even though the risk of needing hospital care among vaccinated people is low, there may still be more of them in the hospital than those who are unvaccinated, he added.
"Please don't be complacent and assume that your younger age sufficiently protects you from not needing vaccination," Prof Mak said, adding that those with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer are more at risk of severe infection.
"Tragically, we have seen people delaying vaccinations because they were complacent and thought they would not fall sick only to find themselves not only infected but also in the ICU," he said.
Some thought seniors in their household would be safe by staying home, and hence not need the vaccine, he noted.
"The facts show otherwise. So, if you are still unvaccinated, I strongly urge you to step forward and get vaccinated now."
Sinovac included in Singapore's national Covid-19 vaccination programme; 3 doses recommended
By Jolene Ang, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
The Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine will be included in the national vaccination programme to cater to those unable or unwilling to be vaccinated with mRNA vaccines, the multi-ministry task force managing the pandemic said on Saturday (Oct 23).
This follows the Health Sciences Authority's (HSA) interim authorisation of the vaccine under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR).
Three doses of the Sinovac vaccine will be required for a person to be considered fully vaccinated, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).
The second dose should be taken 28 days after the first dose, while the third dose should be taken 90 days after the second dose, the HSA said.
All individuals who have taken two doses of the Sinovac vaccine will be regarded as fully vaccinated for four months after the second dose, or Dec 31 this year, whichever is later.
Individuals will have to get their third doses by then in order to maintain their vaccination status.
Under the national vaccination programme, the Sinovac vaccine will be administered for free, and will come under the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance programme.
However, individuals who took the Sinovac vaccine before PSAR approval was given and paid for it themselves will not be reimbursed, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, who co-chairs the taskforce.
MOH will assign the vaccination centre at Raffles City Convention Centre to administer the Sinovac vaccine, Mr Ong added.
This is on top of 11 Public Health Preparedness Clinics as well as select private clinics.
MOH provided the following guidelines on Saturday:
- People who have received only one or two doses of the Sinovac vaccine to date are strongly encouraged to complete a three-dose primary series regime with the mRNA vaccines as it offers more optimal protection.
- People who are unable to take any dose of the mRNA vaccines due to medical reasons should receive three doses of Sinovac in total to complete their primary series regime.
- Those who started vaccination with mRNA vaccines but developed allergies or severe adverse reactions after the first dose should complete a three-dose primary series regime with two more doses of Sinovac.
- If the allergic reaction happens after the second dose of mRNA vaccine, then the person should take one more dose of Sinovac as their booster vaccination when they are eligible for a booster.
- Sinovac will be not offered as a booster for people who have already completed two doses of mRNA vaccine and did not develop allergies or severe adverse reactions. For this group, a third dose of mRNA vaccine will be offered to them as the booster dose instead under the National Vaccination Programme.
Mr Ong said that of the eligible population, 94 per cent have either taken or have booked their vaccinations.
But among the 6 per cent of the eligible population who remain unvaccinated, 70,000 are seniors above 70 years or 60 years old.
"They are at a high risk of falling very sick if infected with Covid-19," Mr Ong said.
"Some of these unvaccinated individuals are unable to take the mRNA vaccines due to medical reasons. Others may just simply prefer a non-mRNA vaccine.
"So we will make the Sinovac vaccine more accessible to them, to encourage them to get vaccinated."
The ministry also said that the Sinovac vaccine has not been approved for general use for individuals aged 12 to 17 years.
This is not in the application from Sinovac and is also consistent with the World Health Organisation's approved use under the Emergency Use Listing.
However, for those in this age band who are medically ineligible to complete a full two-dose regime of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty mRNA vaccines, MOH will offer a three-dose primary series using Sinovac under a dedicated public health programme.
They will be closely monitored by trained medical personnel under this public health programme, given that the use of Sinovac in persons under the age of 18 years was not included in HSA's PSAR interim authorisation, said MOH.
"We will get in touch with eligible persons in this age group on how they can receive the Sinovac vaccine safely."
Addressing a question at Saturday’s press conference on why the Sinopharm vaccine is not being included in the national vaccination programme, Mr Ong said “there has been no application from Sinopharm”.
“We had an application with Sinovac... It’s been given interim approval. The number of doses being administered in Singapore is not big enough for us to do a comprehensive study, not for Sinovac, and for Sinopharm, it is even lower.”
But studies in Brazil and Chile have yielded some good data that helps in the comparisons of vaccine effectiveness against infection, severe illnesses and death, he noted.
Household members will be allowed to dine in groups of 5 if weekly infection growth rate falls: Lawrence Wong
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
People from the same household will be allowed to dine out in groups of up to five if two conditions are met, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Saturday (Oct 23).
First, the weekly Covid-19 infection growth rate must fall below one, meaning that the number of new cases is beginning to decline. Next, the hospital situation – especially in intensive care units (ICUs) – must remain stable.
If these conditions are met, more team sports and school activities will also be allowed to resume.
At a press conference on Saturday, Mr Wong set out three indicators the multi-ministerial task force looks at before deciding to ease Covid-19 restrictions.
These are: the daily rate of increase in infection numbers, the proportion of infected people who fall severely ill, and the occupancy rates at hospitals, especially intensive care unit (ICU) beds.
The Ministry of Health's daily reports will be updated with these figures, so the public is able to track them, Mr Wong said.
But the one key number that reflects all these is the weekly infection growth rate, which is the ratio of cases in the past week over the week before.
This number used to be 1.5, suggesting that cases were doubling every two weeks or so, Mr Wong said.
It is currently just above one, meaning cases are still going up but at a slower rate.
"But because cases are still increasing, it is still resulting in pressures on our healthcare system," he added.
If this number goes below one, and the hospital and intensive care unit situation remains stable, the Government will make "calibrated easing" in three areas, he said.
It will allow team sports to take place, resume more activities in schools and institutes of higher learning and allow household members to dine out together in groups of up to five.
"These are calibrated moves where we assess the risks to be acceptable," said Mr Wong, who co-chairs the task force.
For instance, masks are typically worn during school activities, while sports teams can be required to take antigen rapid tests before the start of the activity.
As for dining as a household, the risks of people not abiding by the rules can be mitigated with sufficient enforcement, he said.
On Wednesday (Oct 20), the task force had announced that tightened restrictions - which include capping group sizes for social gatherings and dining in at two - will be extended for a month till Nov 21.
The measures will be reviewed at the two-week mark and adjusted based on the community situation then, it said.
Mr Wong noted that some people may ask why measures are not eased further, for instance by allowing group sizes to increase across the board to five or even eight people.
This is because relaxing measures across the board will cause cases to rise sharply, impacting the healthcare system, he said.
He acknowledged frustrations about the ongoing restrictions, but added his hope that people will understand Singapore’s healthcare considerations as it manages the pace of reopening.
"I think we have to ask ourselves if this were to happen, what will we do when our ICU facilities get fully occupied?" he said.
"What happens if there is a surge of cases, and we do not have enough ICU beds to take care of people who truly need ICU care?"
Be careful of misleading WhatsApp messages and 'poor maths': Ong Ye Kung
By Sue-Ann Tan, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has warned members of the public to be careful of misleading WhatsApp messages circulating that claimed Covid-19 vaccines do not work.
During an update by the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 on Saturday (Oct 23), he cited a message claiming that beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) are 40 per cent occupied by vaccinated individuals.
The message also urged the Ministry of Health (MOH) to "come clean" about this situation regarding vaccinated individuals falling seriously ill with Covid-19.
Responding, Mr Ong said: "I think this is selective use of data to mislead people and it's a disservice to people."
He said that MOH had been releasing as much data as it could to help the public understand the benefits of vaccination.
"It's not about transparency or data, it's about the right application of maths," he added.
For instance, if 100 per cent of the population is vaccinated, every single ICU case and death will be of a vaccinated person.
"It doesn't mean vaccines don't work," he said, noting that people have to look at the incidence rate and the base of the calculations.
"The very stark piece of data is this - we have a group of seniors that are still unvaccinated. They account for 1.5 per cent or slightly less of the total population.
"And over the last 28 days, (they) accounted for two-thirds of ICU occupancy and deaths, and that's how stark it is."
Singapore's director of medical services Kenneth Mak explained that about 3.5 per cent of all unvaccinated local cases had a more severe illness requiring either oxygen supplementation or ICU care, in contrast with 0.6 per cent of all vaccinated cases.
"The overall risk of infected Covid-19 patients who need oxygen supplementation or ICU care, or who have died, is 8.1 per cent of all unvaccinated people. And this compares to 1.4 per cent for fully vaccinated people," Associate Professor Mak said.
"This means there's a relative risk of 5.8 times more for an unvaccinated person to get a severe infection, compared to vaccinated people."
Mr Ong concluded: "So do get yourself vaccinated. Be careful of misleading WhatsApp messages and poor maths."
Singapore cannot lock down indefinitely but also cannot 'let things rip' in Covid-19 fight: PM Lee
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 23 Oct 2021
While Singapore cannot go into an indefinite lockdown and stand still, it also cannot "simply let go and let things rip", said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a Facebook post on Saturday night (Oct 23).
"We have to travel this road to get to living safely with Covid-19. We want to get there with as few casualties as possible," Mr Lee said.
And the course which the multi-ministry task force tackling the pandemic is setting reflects the Government's judgment on how best to do this, he added.
The task force on Saturday announced several new measures designed to prepare Singapore for the safe resumption of more activities.
These include requiring vaccination for all staff returning to the workplace from Jan 1, as well as adding China's Sinovac to the national vaccination programme and expanding the home recovery scheme to certain pregnant women.
The task force also announced that some Covid-19 measures can be eased if the weekly infection growth rate drops below one.
The task force is co-chaired by Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.
In his post, PM Lee highlighted the weekly infection growth rate - that is, the ratio of community cases in the past week over the week before - as a number to watch.
Two weeks ago, this figure was 1.5, meaning that cases were doubling roughly every fortnight.
It is now 1.15, meaning that cases are growing 15 per cent each week. This works out to case numbers doubling about every month.
If the ratio drops below one and Singapore's hospital and intensive care unit situations remain stable, some measures can be eased, Mr Lee said.
"Many of you have written to express your frustrations about the restrictions, while others have voiced concerns that we are opening up too fast!" he added. "I fully understand how you feel. It has been a long journey, and the continuing uncertainty and disruption is hard on all of us."
Certain sectors - such as the food and beverage industry - have had an exceptionally tough time, Mr Lee observed.
He urged everyone to continue doing their part and exercise social responsibility as Singapore works towards living safely with the virus.
This includes taking vaccinations or booster doses when offered them, as they reduce an individual's chances of getting seriously ill, he said.
Mr Lee added: “Let's continue to stay safe and keep working together.”
Related
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