Ong Ye Kung: More COVID-19 Cases Reported Due to New Rapid Testing Strategy

By
Zhi Hao
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On Sunday (16 May 2021), the nation underwent a startling revelation:

49 new cases, 38 of which were community infections, were reported.

That’s the highest tally in more than a year.

And today, we reported yet another 21 community cases.

And so, it’s perfectly understandable why Singaporeans would lapse into a momentary panic. But do they really need to do so?

Well, yes and no.

Ong Ye Kung: More COVID-19 Cases Reported Due to New Rapid Testing Strategy

According to the newly-appointed Minister of Health, Singapore has commenced a different testing strategy:

Rapid testing.

Touted to be way faster than its PCR test counterpart, rapid testing is done through antigen rapid test kits, and can reportedly produce results in just 20 mins.

It can also be done on-site.

As such, the rapidness of the new testing strategy, coupled with higher virus transmission in the nation, are said to have contributed to staggering numbers on 16 May 2021.

So in a sense, it’s not so much of a sudden spike in cases, but a distinct difference in the procuring of results.

Rollout

And it seems that rapid testing may soon be the new norm here.

Mr Ong added that rapid test kits have since been allocated to 236 of the 900 Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs).

Individuals who visit a doctor while displaying signs of an acute respiratory infection are required to take a rapid test.

However, as Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests remain more accurate, patients would also have to take a PCR test.

Daily report numbers are reportedly based off these test results.

Lest you’re unaware, PCR tests have to go through lab observations, which constitutes around 48 hours in waiting time.

Daily Numbers Today

Earlier today, it was unveiled that the Ministry of Health (MOH) has preliminarily confirmed 28 new cases of COVID-19 infection.

21 are community cases, and of these, 10 are linked to previous cases.

This brings the total number of cases in Singapore to 60,613.

Based on yesterday’s figures, the number of new cases in the community has increased from 39 cases in the week before to 131 cases in the past week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from 6 cases in the week before to 32 cases in the past week.

The COVID-19 situation in the coming days will also determine whether a second circuit breaker is necessary, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said yesterday (16 May).

“You can see the cases rising and whether the trajectory goes exponentially up or flatten – which did happen (during) Chinese New Year this year, we saw cases going up and then it flattened and then it disappeared – which direction it goes, we will only know in the coming days,” he said.

“So all I can say is as of now, we need to monitor the situation and then come to a decision later.”

To prevent another Circuit Breaker, wear your masks. If you still don’t believe in the effectiveness of a mask, watch this video to the end:

Featured Image: Youtube

Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]