It has been slightly more than a month since Singapore confirmed its first case of COVID-19 infection. While it may feel like a long time, the outbreak is still in its early days, wrote Associate Professor Steven Ooi Peng Lim and Professor Leo Yee Sin.
They believe that the situation will get worse before it gets better, and they are confident that Singapore will be successful in overcoming this public health crisis. It ultimately depends not so much on disease duration as on our collective resilience, they wrote.
“Sustainability is key to preparing for a long battle. Support for each other is crucial to our psychological defence.”
Singapore has learnt and grown much since the SARS outbreak in 2003. This time around, we are better prepared with experienced healthcare and public health professionals, dedicated scientists, courageous volunteers, and ample resources that were heavily invested in during peacetime.
A/Prof Ooi and Prof Leo said, “Just as with Sars, here is a chance for us to improve our community-based response with social norms of self-reliance, solidarity and cooperation.”
“With concerns over rapid local spread, we must wash our hands regularly and if we feel unwell, wear a mask and avoid contact with others. We must also be judicious in the use of limited resources.
Inconvenience is inevitable, but we must be patient. The virus does not discriminate, and neither must we.”
Associate Professor Ooi Peng Lim is a senior consultant at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) and teaches field epidemiology at SSHSPH. Professor Leo Yee Sin is Executive Director of NCID and an alumna of the School (MPH ’13).
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