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Ho Ching Explains Why We Need New COVID-19 Rules & Told Us to ‘Stop Throwing Tantrums Like a Kid’

2021-09-27 , 11:28 am

Living during the COVID-19 pandemic is a bit like being the ball in a table tennis match.

You think you’ve crossed the line and finally landed at your destination, but then you’re smashed back to reality which lies on the other side.

Last Friday (24 Sep), the authorities made the announcement we kind of expected but didn’t want to hear: group size limits for dining in, social gatherings, and household visits will be reduced from five participants to two.

Naturally, some residents have expressed their displeasure at these tightened restrictions, noting that Singapore has one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.

But one woman thinks these people should stop “throwing tantrums.”

Ho Ching Explains Why We Need New COVID-19 Rules

In a lengthy post on Facebook today, Temasek Holdings CEO Ho Ching explained why the authorities reimposed some COVID-19 restrictions.

She noted that some netizens have complained that just 2% of our COVID-19 cases are serious, implying that there’s no need for tighter rules due to the small percentage.

But as Ms Ho pointed out, 2% can be a large number when the majority of cases get infected around the same time.

Using an example to illustrate her point, she said that if 25% of vaccinated people were infected, that would amount to around 1.2 million cases. That, together with the 500,000 to 600,000 residents who aren’t vaccinated, would make around 1.8 million infections.

And if 2% of these cases fell severely ill, that would amount to 36,000 serious cases.

“Assume each of them needs a bed for 7 days, that would be over 250,000 bed days.
If these cases come in over 3 months, we would need 2,800 beds dedicated to serious Covid cases, excluding those not serious ones under observation, and occupying a bed,” she said.

But if these cases were spread over nine months, we would need “less than 1,000 daily bed capacity for the serious cases,” she said.

What’s more, we would also need less than 100 intensive care unit (ICU) beds for critically ill COVID-19 patients, which would allow healthcare workers to care for other COVID-19 cases who aren’t as serious.

Ms Ho’s point, it seems, is that the tightened restrictions are necessary to avoid overwhelming our healthcare system.

She acknowledged that some fully vaccinated residents may see no reason for the restrictions since they’re now protected against COVID-19.

But if they have another medical emergency – such as a heart attack or stroke – they would surely want to avoid a situation where exhausted doctors are unable to care for them due to hospitals being overwhelmed with coronavirus cases, she said.

Situation Should Improve Within a Month or Two Thanks to More Vaccinations & Booster Shots

Ms Ho said the situation should improve within a month or two, as our COVID-19 booster vaccine programme is going “very well”.

In addition, more and more residents coming forward to book their first shot, including older folks.

She also said that vaccinations for children aged five to 11 should be opening up in another month or two.

Still, even with more coming forward to get jabbed, it will take around six to eight weeks for them to be fully vaccinated.

And until then, these measures are necessary to stem the spread of the virus.

Make a Small Sacrifice Now, Enjoy Later

Ms Ho believes this is a small sacrifice we should make now, so we can “enjoy more later.”

“If we don’t make this small sacrifice, we will face an overwhelmed hospital system, and make things very difficult for our medical and nursing teams to care for everyone who needs care,” she wrote.

She also encouraged those who don’t experience severe symptoms, such as having their oxygen levels dropping to below 90%, to recover at home, as they would with the flu.

Low readings could be caused by a faulty oximeter, though, she warned, advising residents to take a few deep breaths and take another reading before calling an emergency hotline.

“Stop Throwing Tantrums Like a Kid”

Most of all, Ms Ho wants residents to stay calm amidst the chaos, so we can help hospitals cope with the surge in patients.

She said that we’re in the “transitional phase to living openly with COVID-19” and that this is just a “small detour”.

She exhorted the country not to “lose the war” as well as all the sacrifices we’ve made over the past 18 months because of the latest setback.

“Help others, be kind, and stop throwing tantrums like a kid,” she said.

“And stop emoting and chest thumping for drama. We are not doing ourselves a favour when we do so. Let’s be adults as individuals and as a country.”

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