Over the past week, an average of 700 cases were reported daily that were linked to foreign worker dormitories.
Even as the number of dormitory-linked cases continues to rise, Vice Dean (Research), Associate Professor Alex Cook said the situation is better than originally expected and “the number of cases is consistently lower in reality than what the models say it should have been”.
He said that this could be interpreted either pessimistically, that not all cases are detected yet due to a lack of capacity, or optimistically, that the curve is bending downwards by separating the infected workers from the healthy workers.
Assoc Prof Cook stressed that it is important to remain vigilant after the ‘circuit breaker’ period ends:
“It is unlikely we are past our peak.
[We may be] past the peak for the first wave of infections, but if in a period after circuit breaker we are not moving towards a situation where we’re controlling the epidemic, [that is, where] we are letting it become unmitigated, then I think we can expect to have a large peak going forward.”
He added that measures should be tailored carefully and progressively over the next few months.
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Media coverage:
- Coronavirus: Case tally in Singapore dorms lower than what models predicted earlier, The Straits Times, 14 May 2020
- Case tally in dorms lower than what models predicted earlier, The Straits Times (Print), 14 May 2020
- Ease curbs carefully to avoid large peak in coronavirus infections: Expert, The Straits Times, 14 May 2020
- Ease curbs carefully to avoid large peak in infections, The Straits Times (Print), 14 May 2020