February 2020

While Singapore has managed to slow the spread of the disease, the virus continues to spread rapidly around the world. “Singapore’s approach of actively looking for new cases and quarantining close contacts has been effective in ring-fencing clusters of infection so far, and we have not seen evidence of community spread… However, it is premature to say that the worst is over,” said Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, Chief Health Scientist at the Ministry of Health. “Given the rate at which new cases are being reported around the world, there isRead more

Drawing on lessons learnt from SARS in 2003, Singapore confronted the COVID-19 outbreak with a cautious step-by-step approach. Since the virus spreads through contact with respiratory droplets (and there is currently no evidence of airborne transmission), the Ministry of Health (MOH) has discouraged the public from hoarding and wearing masks when they are not sick. Maintaining proper hand hygiene and avoiding touching the face are more effective to reduce chance of infection. On that note, Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, partner at Ogilvy Wymann and Co-Director of Global Health at SSHSPH,

The COVID-19 outbreak seems to have tapered off in Singapore in the past week — four weeks after the virus was first confirmed here — but it is still far too early to say the worst is over. While the number of new cases detected has fallen steadily, there is no way to be certain that another surge will not happen. The fall in the number of confirmed cases in the past week indicates that Singapore’s efforts have been successful in limiting the spread of COVID-19, said Associate Professor Hsu

Healthcare workers work harder and longer in a public health crisis. At the front line of patient care, they are vulnerable to catching the coronavirus they are fighting. Having gained valuable lessons and insights from the SARS outbreak in 2003, Singapore has put in place adequate measures to protect them in this current COVID-19 outbreak. Dr Gan Wee Hoe (MPH ‘11), head of the department of occupational and environmental medicine at Singapore General Hospital and Adjunct Assistant Professor at SSHSPH, and Professor Chia Kee Seng share an overview of what

When can the world breathe a collective sigh of relief? When can we stop taking protective measures? These questions put forward by Salma Khalik, Senior Health Correspondent at The Straits Times, are no doubt also at the front of everyone’s minds. The COVID-19 outbreak will likely be a long battle; it is not something that will blow over in a week or two. It is thus important to time public health measures so that they will make the most impact and not impose unnecessary hardship on people. Vice Dean (Research),

Researchers from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases have confirmed that the transmission mechanism of COVID-19 is different from SARS and in fact more similar to H1N1 or influenza. Like influenza, COVID-19 is infectious when symptoms are mild. Assistant Professor Clarence Tam stressed that even if the risk of mortality from a virus is low, it can still cause a large number of deaths if it spreads easily. “The available data indicate that this new virus is not as deadly as SARS, but spreads much more readily from person to person.

The change in the COVID-19 risk assessment level from Yellow to Orange last week prompted a sudden surge in demand for groceries and household essentials across stores in Singapore. Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong said, “We just want to continue to assure Singaporeans that our supply chains, when it comes to food and grocery items, remain robust. Our diversification strategy ensures that we are protected from any sudden shocks. We were able to meet that demand. It was simply a matter of getting the supplies out from the warehouse