Minister Advises People to See a Doctor Even If It’s Just a ‘Sniffle’ & Not to Interact With Others if Unwell

By
Boon Hun
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Previously, GPs came forward to assure Singaporeans that the swab test is uncomfortable but “relatively painless”.

They were afraid that Singaporeans won’t come to consult doctors anymore, maybe because of the new rule that anyone above 13-years-old who sees a doctor for Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) for the first time will have to undergo the swab test.

Well, it seems that it’s a valid concern because now, a minister has also stepped forward to talk about the same thing.

Minister Advises People to See a Doctor Even If It’s Just a ‘Sniffle’ & Not to Interact With Others if Unwell

True, Singapore has strengthened its testing and tracing capabilities.

Just read one of our daily updates to see how many cases were caught before they could cause even more damage.

But that doesn’t mean Singaporeans can let their guards down, Minister Lawrence Wong reminded for the nth time.

Everyone, he says, should stay vigilant and take all necessary precautions.

In other words:

  • stay home as much as possible
  • wear a mask
  • wash your hands with soap frequently
  • practise safe distancing
  • monitor your health and see the doctor immediately if you show any symptoms (Even if it’s just a runny nose.)

He pointed out that the risk of transmission now is higher because unlike Circuit Breaker, we’re now going out more.

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And This Means Everyone Has To Do Their Part

Because no matter what system the authorities put into place, the best detection system is ourselves.

After all, who better than yourself to know your own body best, right?

But the problem starts when we start ignoring our bodies’ signals, such as feeling feverish or having flu-like symptoms, and go out to meet other people.

Because that’s when you’ll have something like this happen:

Mr Lawrence Wong urge for Singaporeans not to take unnecessary risks, and to avoid people and see a doctor if you show even a slight sign of a symptom:

“We shouldn’t push the system to its limits or take unnecessary risks. So, while we have indeed enhanced our system… it requires everyone to do his part, take all the necessary precautions to stay vigilant and uphold the social distancing measures.”

You also have to remember that Singapore’s aggressive testing, for now, depends on people going to the doctor for ARIs.

So if people are not going to go to the doctors, they might be undetected asymptomatic cases, infecting more people until someone is caught.

MOH is also running active surveillance and screening on people in frontline Covid-19 operations or working in essential services, among others.

Increase Is Expected

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong explains that the recent increase in community cases are expected:

  • An average of 4 cases per day (over the previous week) to 9 cases per day (over the past week)
  • An average of 2 unlinked cases per day (over the previous week) to 4 unlinked cases per day (over the past week)

Nonetheless, he asks that people in Singapore help to maintain the status quo as well:

“So, let us remain vigilant, don’t let our guard down, be careful and practise safe distancing and obey the spirit of the rules, but not just the words, the letter of the rule. I think this will help us to keep ourselves safe and to keep our loved ones safe as well.”

It was also said that if numbers were to spike or large clusters form, tighter measures will slam into place.

To stay in the loop about news in Singapore, you might want to subscribe to our YouTube channel whereby we’d update you about what’s happening here daily:

Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:

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Boon Hun
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