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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 HsuRead more

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 whatRead more

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),Read more

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.Read more

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 warehouseRead more

Last Friday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) raised the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) from Yellow to Orange, following several cases of COVID-19 with no links to other cases. Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, Partner at Oliver Wyman and Co-Director of Global Health at SSHSPH, Assistant Professor Clarence Tam and Mr Adrian Tan, APAC Practice Leader (Future of Work and Tech) at PeopleStrong, share their thoughts relating to the change in DORSCON level in Channel NewsAsia’s latest episode of Heart of the Matter. On the panic-buying that was observed afterRead more

Some patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had visited a doctor twice or thrice before it was confirmed that they were infected. Programme Leader (Infectious Diseases), Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang explains that general practitioners are sometimes unable to identify suspected cases on the first visit to the clinic because the initial symptoms of COVID-19 are similar to flu or the common cold. “Without other indicators such as a recent travel history to mainland China or contact with other confirmed cases, it would not be easy for GPs to differentiateRead more

Studies have shown that viruses thrive better in cool, dry climates, and they do not persist well in hot, humid environments (over 30°C and 80 per cent humidity level). Singapore’s tropical climate makes it less conducive for the spread of the novel coronavirus — now officially named COVID-19 — but this also means there is extensive use of air-conditioning as a way to escape from the heat. “Air-conditioning is something that can’t be helped in Singapore, especially during the hot months,” said Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang, Programme Leader (InfectiousRead more

Screen viewing is increasingly prevalent but excessive screen time in childhood has been linked to a range of health problems, including increased risk of obesity and reduced cognitive development. A study found that toddlers who spend more than three hours a day looking at a screen are more likely to be less physically active by the time they reach kindergarten-age. The researchers suggest that limiting the exposure of young children to screens (such as TVs, computers and handheld devices) to one hour a day may promote healthier behaviours later inRead more

Coconut oil has been marketed as a health food for years, but a recent study found that its consumption results in significantly higher levels of LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol. Epidemiology Domain Leader Professor Rob van Dam, postdoctoral fellow Dr Nithya Neelakantan and NGS PhD student Mr Jowy Seah reviewed 16 studies to assess the effects of coconut oil consumption on blood lipids and other cardiovascular risk factors. They found that coconut oil significantly increased LDL cholesterol by 8.6 per cent, as compared with non-tropical vegetable oils such as safflower oil andRead more

The world has seen multiple disease outbreaks in the past two decades, including SARS, H1N1, Ebola, and now the coronavirus that originated from Wuhan in China. Infectious diseases have no respect for borders, and Singapore will always be vulnerable given its population density and that it is a major transportation hub. Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, Co-Director of the Leadership Institute for Global Health Transformation (LIGHT), wrote: “It’s time to get real about the prevalence and risk of infectious diseases. This is the new normal.” As such disease outbreaks become common,Read more

On 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, signifying the need for a concerted international effort to curb the spread of the virus. Assistant Professor Clarence Tam highlights the key uncertainties that remain — how widely the virus will spread outside China, what impact this will have (particularly in countries with fragile health systems) and exactly how severe this illness is. He describes how human migration and urbanisation — together with increased human encroachment into animal habitats andRead more