Sole Community Case Reported on 17 Feb is a Good Example of What to Do When One’s Sick in S’pore

Avoiding doctor appointments seems to be all the rage lately.

Even though we’re in the midst of a pandemic, many previous community Covid-19 cases chose not to seek medical attention when they were ill.

This, of course, is exactly the opposite of what the authorities asked us to do.

Seeing a doctor when you’re sick can help the authorities detect a potential infection quicker and prevent further transmission of the virus.

Despite the repeated calls to do so, many self-medicated and did not report their symptoms.

But this time, a community Covid-19 case did exactly what one is supposed to do when ill, and more. Kudos to her.

Sole Community Case Reported on 17 Feb is a Good Example of What to Do When One’s Sick in S’pore

The woman, a 59-year-old Singaporean, was the only Covid-19 case in the community reported yesterday (17 Feb).

The woman works in an administrative role at engineering company Aibel and has been telecommuting since March last year, according to the Ministry of Health.

She developed an itchy throat on 4 Feb, and went to a GP that same day. She was given five days of medical leave and was instructed to return for a follow-up consultation and Covid-19 test if she failed to recover after three days.

When she felt better on 6 Feb, she made sure to inform her doctor.

But over a week later, on 15 Feb, the woman developed a fever, chills, nausea, and gastric pain.

She went to the Sengkang General Hospital for treatment and was tested for Covid-19. Her test result came back positive the next day.

If we all follow this woman’s example, the coronavirus will definitely have a tough time spreading around the country.

All of the woman’s close contacts, including her family members, have been isolated and put under quarantine.

10 Imported Cases

Another day, another imported case or 10.

10 imported cases were also reported yesterday, nine of whom were asymptomatic.

The 10 cases arrived in Singapore from India, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

They all tested positive while while serving their stay-home notice.

Higher Number of Community Cases

The number of new community cases rose from four cases two weeks ago to six in the past week.

But the good news is that the number of unlinked cases in the community in a week dropped from four cases to three over the same period.

First Shipment of Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine Arrives

Unlike most of us, Covid-19 vaccines have been travelling quite a bit in the last few months.

On 12 Dec, the first shipment of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Singapore.

And yesterday, the second Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in Singapore – Moderna’s vaccine – arrived in the country.

For those who don’t know, Pfizer’s vaccine has to be stored at -70°C and lasts for only five days at standard refrigerator temperatures.

But the Moderna vaccine can be stored at -20°C, and just like that frozen pizza you’re never going to eat, lasts in a fridge for 30 days.

More vaccines from both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech will arrive over the course of the year.

Feature Image: kandl stock / Shutterstock.com