As Singapore halts reopening, experts suggest bolder COVID-19 strategy

SINGAPORE, Sept. 9 (Reuters) – Singapore increases COVID-19 testing and warns it would not rule out reimposing tighter curbs as infections increase – moves some experts say are too cautious for the vaccine leader being prepared to coexist with the virus as an endemic disease.

Strict surveillance and quarantine have been key to its success in fighting the pandemic, but Singapore has reported a sharp rise in cases to a one-year high this week.

Frightened by the rapid pace of transmission, the government has said it will stop reopening measures and has urged people to cut back on social activities, sparking a debate among experts over whether Singapore could “be bolder” as it has a of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

“There will necessarily be some trial and error, but I personally think Singapore’s vaccination rate allows us to be bolder to move forward,” said Ooi Eng Eong, an infectious disease expert at Duke-NUS Medical School.

Some experts even question the need for rigorous testing in a country where 81% of the 5.7 million population is fully vaccinated and many of the new positive cases are asymptomatic.

With so many people vaccinated, “it’s not obvious that we need to know the infection status of asymptomatic contacts,” said Alex Cook, an expert on infectious disease models at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Singapore has forced routine testing for workers in additional high-risk environments, has begun distributing rapid antigen testing kits to households and has urged everyone to self-test, even if completely vaccinated.

The country registered 347 new local cases on Wednesday, nearly three times as many as two weeks ago. So far it has reported 56 deaths and only six people are in intensive care.

MORE CURVED A LAST SPRING

With infections doubling every week due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the government predicts up to 2,000 cases a day in a month on the current trajectory.

However, more than 90% of new cases are asymptomatic or with very mild symptoms.

Singapore’s approach contrasts with other leaders in vaccination, such as Israel, the United States and England, who eased the restrictions as they inoculated a large part of their population and suffered an increase in cases and hospitalizations.

“We know from the experience of other countries that when the cases increase so sharply, there will be many more cases of ICU and also people who will succumb to the virus,” said Lawrence Wong, Singapore’s finance minister and co-chair of the group. coronavirus work.

While more brakes would be the last resort, he warned that the government may have no choice if serious cases rise sharply.

The government has said it can open up to 1,000 ICU beds for patients with COVID-19.

On Wednesday, the health ministry said it was renewing its daily COVID-19 reports to keep a close eye on serious illnesses and stop providing data on related and unrelated cases.

COVID-19 MEASURES

To slow down the transmission, Singapore is testing, tracking contacts and closing cases more aggressively.

The government has asked companies to establish a “fast 14-day work from home regime” in case they have a positive case.

He is hospitalizing many patients as a precaution, although they do not show mild symptoms or not.

Those who are clinically well, but who continue to test positive, are isolated on the premises. The government has previously said it plans to pilot the domestic isolation of fully vaccinated people.

However, NUS Cook noted that the isolation of cases, especially on the premises, is not aligned with the stated intention to move to an endemic state such as dengue or the flu.

“Despite achieving vaccine coverage of over 80% … and as a result of a very low number of serious cases, Singaporeans are being told that they need to have more restrictions again,” he said. . “There is a risk that this ambiguity could damage adherence to the guide in the future.”

Aradhana Aravindan reports in Singapore; Additional reports by Chen Lin; Edited by Miyoung Kim and Himani Sarkar

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