MOH Urges People to Seek Medical Treatment for Even Mild Symptoms

By
Boon Hun
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The number of community cases in Singapore is on the rise again and the authorities are worried.

So worried that they’re now contemplating imposing additional measures and have postponed the pilot to reopen nightclubs and KTVs indefinitely.

Normally, you’d ignore slight flu symptoms like having a runny nose or a sore throat and went to work anyway.

Well, as you can probably tell by now, it’s not been normal for a year now.

And during these troubled times, ignoring even the slightest, or the mildest, symptoms could bring about serious consequences.

Confirmed Covid-19 Cases Didn’t Report Symptoms

Recently, it’s been revealed that several confirmed Covid-19 cases did not seek a doctor despite experiencing mild symptoms.

One of them is a 44-year-old male Singaporean who works as an administrative officer at the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

He is linked to a previous case – a 32-year-old male who works as a para-vet the same location (2 Mowbray Road).

The admin officer developed a dry throat on 7 Jan but had not sought medical treatment.

On 15 Jan, he was tested as part of the special testing operations conducted by the Ministry of Health at his workplace after the para-vet was confirmed to have the disease.

He tested positive for the coronavirus the next day, but his serological test came back negative, meaning it’s a fresh infection.

Another is a 44-year-old female Singaporean who is a family member of the admin officer.

The homemaker developed a fever and chills on 9 Jan, and a loss of smell and taste on 13 Jan, but she too, had not sought medical treatment.

She was tested by the MOH on 16 Jan since she was a family member of the admin officer, and it returned a positive result.

Just like the admin officer, her serological test result has come back negative, indicating that this is also likely a current infection.

On Monday, another two cases linked to the para-veterinary cluster was reported.

Similarly, they did not seek medical treatment and were only detected after contact tracing efforts.

MOH Urges People to Seek Medical Treatment for Even Mild Symptoms

According to NUS Associate Professor Alex Cook, people are typically unsure whether it’s the start of a cold or “a dry throat from dehydration” when symptoms first start appearing.

One way to get past that hurdle, he suggests, is to check for multiple symptoms, or observe the duration of the symptom.

If there are multiple symptoms, or a single symptom lasting for more than a day, it’s “important to get it checked out”.

On Tuesday (19 Jan), MOH urges people in Singapore to seek medical treatment even for mild symptoms.

“We strongly urge everyone to do their part to reduce the risk of transmission. Those who are unwell, including those showing early/mild symptoms, should be socially responsible and seek medical attention immediately”

Experts spoken to agree that even before the pandemic, people tend to “tahan” their mild symptoms and continue with life.

The three to five days MC is also a factor behind why people don’t want to get checked out for slight symptoms.

Nonetheless, they urge people to get checked out anyway, even if there’s a chance that it’s non-Covid-19-related.

That’s because the risk is still there, as can be seen from the para-veterinary cluster in the Singapore Police Force.

“I would urge people even with mild symptoms to be tested straight away. We clearly have a problem and now is the time to stamp it out.” – Professor Dale Fisher, senior consultant at NUH and Chair of the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network

In other words, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Featured Image: tristan tan / Shutterstock.com

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Boon Hun
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