27 Out Of 27 Cases Reported On 16 Sep Are Asymptomatic, Highlights The Importance Of Wearing Masks

Except for introducing you to your own horrifically bad breath, wearing masks has been a rather good thing.

At first, only those who were ill were asked to wear masks, but now, more and more countries are making it mandatory for their citizens to cover the lower part of their face when they go outside.

Some people, like the Sovereign Lady of Shunfu, found this to be a fate worse than death, and so they refused to wear masks even though it costs them $300.

But going out bare-faced might lead to more than just an empty wallet. When you have a virus that can jump between seemingly healthy individuals, a mask is your only line of defence.

27 Out Of 27 Cases Reported On 16 Sep Are Asymptomatic

The number of daily infections continues to dwindle, as the Ministry of Health (MOH) reported just 27 new cases yesterday (16 Sep).

After two consecutive days of no cases in the community, two were reported yesterday, as well as two imported infections.

The remaining 23 cases were migrant workers living in dormitories, 17 of whom were already quarantined as they had been contacts of previous cases.

Six were detected through surveillance testing.

The most notable thing about yesterday’s report, however, is that all 27 cases were asymptomatic. 

This means that they were not sick and did not exhibit any symptoms of the coronavirus.

In fact, a large percentage of cases reported in the last few days have been asymptomatic; 41 out of 42 cases reported on Sunday (13 Sep) did not have any outward signs of disease.

Reader: Wait, if they don’t know they’re sick, how are they detected?

One word: screening and surveillance.

Reader: That’s three words.

Despite cases decreasing, the authorities have implemented the Rostered Routine Testing, which screens migrant workers living in dormitories, those working on construction or production sites, and those in the construction, marine and process sector, every two weeks.

This is why it pays to be kiasu sometimes.

This also shows why it’s so important to wear masks.

The Importance of Wearing Masks

Not only are masks our last line of defence against Covid-19 when we have asymptomatic cases, it also significantly reduces transmission of the virus.

But if you still doubt the efficacy of masks, a study from a Hong Kong university might set you straight.

Experiments conducted at The University of Hong Kong found that the spread of the coronavirus through respiratory droplets or airborne particles was reduced by 75% when face masks were used.

Humans weren’t used in the experiment, of course. Hamsters were.

Two groups of hamsters were placed in two cages: one group had Covid-19 and the other group was healthy.

Instead of manufacturing tiny face masks for hamsters, which would have been adorable, researchers simply placed mask barriers on the cage with the infected hamsters.

With no mask barrier, 66.7% of healthy hamsters were infected within a week.

With a mask barrier, only 16.7%. of the healthy subjects were infected.

Researchers also found that when mask-wearing went into effect in New York, the daily new infection rate fell by about 3% per day, while daily new cases continued to increase in other states.

So, mask up not because the gahmen asked you to, but because it will reduce the spread of Covid-19.

For the sake of your fellow Singaporean, don’t be a Sovereign. Be a hamster instead.