COVID-19: Spreads like the flu but severe enough to kill

More than 370,000 people worldwide have succumbed to COVID-19 and the toll continues to rise as the virus spreads globally.

While many have compared the current pandemic to SARS, experts now believe that the disease will be around for some time, unlike the latter.

“If it (COVID-19) were as severe as SARS, it would be much more controllable, and far fewer people (in absolute numbers) would have died and be yet to die.

COVID-19 is possibly at the worst point on the severity spectrum – mild enough that it can still spread like a cold or flu, but severe enough that it kills a substantial number of people,” said Vice Dean (Research), Associate Professor Alex Cook.

Although current data indicates that COVID-19 fatality rate has been less than 6 per cent, Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying cautioned that the numbers do not reflect the actual situation on the ground.

“The apparently low mortality rate masks the fact that certain groups, including those with underlying health conditions, are more susceptible to complications and deaths,” said Prof Teo.

Singapore will enter its first phase of post-circuit breaker tomorrow, 2 June.

While a rise in cases is expected as businesses resume activities, Prof Teo warned that opening up the country too quickly could lead to a second wave of infections that is even worse than the first.

Adopting a slow, easing approach would be better in the long run “even if we do have a second wave, a very small resurgence, that our current measures — very aggressive testing, very comprehensive contact tracing — will be able to keep a lid on,” said Prof Teo.

“It’s safe to say that nobody can guarantee that when we ease some of these restrictive measures that there will not be a resurgence,” said Prof Teo.

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