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A combination of isolation and quarantine measures, workplace distancing and school closures was found to be the most effective in curbing the spread of COVID-19 in a simulated model of Singapore’s population. And at this early stage, quarantine and workplace distancing should be prioritised over school closures. This was presented in a paper titled ‘Interventions to mitigate early spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Singapore: a modelling study’ published in The Lancet on 23 March 2020. The study analysed different combinations of measures and their potential outcomes in a simulated model setRead more

When pandemics like COVID-19 strike, authorities and governments are often fighting on two fronts. The first: understanding the virus, researching a cure and isolating infected populations. The second is the avalanche of fake news, rumours and lies posted by thousands across the internet – the accompanying ‘infodemic’. According to cybersecurity multinational Check Point, coronavirus-themed domains are 50 per cent more likely to be malicious than other domains. Experts suggest that while there is little evidence of mass-coordinated fake news campaigns, the biggest contributor to the infodemic is speculation and onlineRead more

Tighter measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in Singapore were introduced this past week. These include shutting our borders to tourists and short-term visitors, banning large gatherings, and ordering pubs and entertainment outlets to close from tonight (26 March) 11.59pm until 30 April. This has left some people wondering if the country is in a ‘partial lockdown’. While there is no universal definition of a lockdown, in most countries it is a protocol triggered by an emergency that restricts the movement of people, vehicles and goods, and where citizensRead more

Among the 558 confirmed cases in Singapore, 326 were imported. Out of these, 111 cases were young adults aged between 20 and 29, with more than half returning from the United Kingdom. “The number of young people being infected reflects the demographics of people returning to Singapore as a result of the global situation, where a number of countries in Europe and North America are seeing widespread community transmission,” said Dean, Professor Teo Yik Ying. Despite previous reports suggesting that senior citizens are more vulnerable to infections, Prof Teo stressed:Read more

Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, Co-Director of Global Health was invited by Milken Institute to be part of their COVID-19 Conference Call Series discussing global efforts and approaches in combatting the coronavirus pandemic. Assoc Prof Lim shared and attributed Singapore’s relatively well-controlled outbreak to the following points: Timely formation of multi-ministry task force, Transparency which earned citizens’ trust in government, Public education on measures to prevent spread. The session was moderated by Mr Michael Milken, Chairman of Milken Institute, and Ms Katie O’Reilly, Executive Director of Business and Program Development at MilkenRead more

“You cannot fight a fire blindfolded and we cannot stop this pandemic if we don’t know who is infected. We have a simple message for all countries; test, test, test.” This was the message from the World Health Organization to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries have imposed mass lockdowns and ordered people to stay home. But few have implemented widespread testing, including many European countries and US who are limiting tests for only the most critical of cases, as testing kits are in short supply. Singapore has managed toRead more

Effective today (24 March), all short-term visitors will be barred from entering or transiting through Singapore, in view of the recent surge in imported COVID-19 cases. To date, more than half of the 509 confirmed cases were imported. The travel restrictions are also extended to all work pass holders and their dependents with exception to those providing essential services, such as in healthcare and transport. “These are very significant moves especially for a small, open economy like Singapore that has always been connected to the world,” said National Development MinisterRead more

Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang and Dr Tan Min-Han served as frontline physicians at Singapore’s Communicable Disease Centre (now the National Centre for Infectious Diseases) during the SARS outbreak and they are now involved in responding to the COVID-19 challenge in the country. In the spirit of international cooperation, they share their experiences and observations that may be of benefit to other countries, systems and individuals during this global challenge. These include a whole-of-government response, aggressive but targeted quarantine measures, emphasis on public health communication, and support for healthcare workers.Read more

With the rapidly evolving situation, China is no longer the epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak and the virus has spread to many other countries around the world. To minimise the risk of widespread community transmission, contact tracing and enhanced surveillance (such as enhanced pneumonia surveillance and testing of patients in intensive care units) is essential. Efforts should be focused on identifying locally acquired cases and containment to prevent further transmission in the community. This was proposed by a local team of researchers in a paper titled ‘Investigation of three clustersRead more

Singapore has reported 455 cases and two fatalities in exactly two months since its first confirmed case on 23 January. Assistant Professor Clarence Tam attributed the relatively well-controlled outbreak in both Hong Kong and Singapore to our small size and reinforced border control, which allowed for intensive contact tracing and screening. “Testing early and extensively, and effective isolation, contact tracing and quarantining has been key to bringing epidemics under control,” he said. Responding to concerns on school closures, Dr Tam said, “For COVID-19 we don’t currently know how much childrenRead more

From painkillers to antibiotics, China has been a major supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for a range of medicines. In this established supply system, companies have become increasingly reliant on lower-cost manufacturers in China. But the current outbreak could prompt overseas drug makers to consider diversifying their source of supply. “The trade-off between concentration risk and low prices was accepted by the world for many years, but I suspect COVID-19 will force a rethink of national strategies for pharmaceutical procurement,” said Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, Co-Director of the LeadershipRead more

A spike in COVID-19 cases globally has resulted in numerous countries taking stricter measures to control the spread, including Malaysia, who declared a nationwide lockdown that begun on Wednesday, 18 March. On 20 March, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong dispelled rumours that Singapore was going into a lockdown. “Can I just make it very clear? There is no lockdown,” he said in a press conference. The lockdown approach appears to have worked for China, with Hubei reporting zero new infections since the virus first emerged there. But Associate Professor HsuRead more