Singapore on ‘knife’s edge’ amid COVID-19 flare-up

Singapore is in the grips of its worst COVID-19 flare-up in months, prompting the co-chair of its coronavirus task-force to warn the city state is on a “knife’s edge”.

Lawrence Wong believes the number of community cases could go “either way over the next few weeks”.

Mr Wong, who is also the Education Minister, says “we have a chance of getting things under control by the end of the month”.

“PRUDENT DECISION”

Singapore recently tightened its restrictions, reducing the number of people allowed to gather, while also extending the quarantine period from 14 to 21 days for most inbound travellers.

Hannah Clapham is an Assistant Professor at NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health in Singapore.

The epidemiologist says it was a “prudent decision” to introduce these kinds of measures.

“I have been very impressed from the beginning of the commitment and determination to contact tracing that has gone on in Singapore,” Ms Clapham told Ticker News.

The infectious diseases expert says Singapore has a “really impressive” contact tracing and isolation program that swings into action when there is an uptick in cases.

AIRPORT CLUSTER

Ten new community cases were recorded in Singapore on Wednesday, including seven that are linked to a cluster at Changi Airport.

A number of the cases in this cluster are breakthrough infections, meaning the patient contracted the virus despite being fully vaccinated.

“So when we look at the numbers, when we see a lot of infections in vaccinated people, we have to remember that a lot of people have been vaccinated because we were worried about their risk of transmission,” Hannah Clapham told Ticker.

She says it is “really reassuring” that “we have seen much milder cases in vaccinated individuals”.