Despite clawing our way to the top of Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience Ranking, Singapore’s sudden spike in community cases is another slap in the face that the pandemic is far from over.
Even our high vaccination rate—which boosted us to the top spot in said ranking—isn’t a foolproof shield against the virus, as we’ve seen in many vaccinated community cases.
This begs the question: what good are vaccines then?
Singapore’s Reinfection Cases
In a ministerial statement in Parliament on Tuesday (11 May), Health Minister Gan Kim Yong noted that “vaccine breakthroughs are possible” but still urged Singaporeans to get vaccinated as it greatly reduces the chances of infection.
This comes after 26 cases of local COVID-19 reinfection were reported in Singapore, leaving the public to wonder if vaccines really meant the end of the pandemic.
The Straits Times reports that investigations are currently being carried out to determine if reinfections are due to a general waning of immunity levels over time, or a lack of cross-protection—despite a previous infection—against specific variants of the coronavirus that a person is exposed to for the first time.
Mr Gan, who is the co-chair for the government’s COVID-19 task force, noted that despite reinfections, vaccinated individuals were more protected from the virus than their non-vaccinated counterparts.
“While the numbers are too small to draw firm conclusions, the findings do indicate that vaccination provides critical protection even against COVID-19 variants,” he added.
Citing the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster, Mr Gan said that seven of the staff members and two patients who had been administered both doses of the vaccine showed no or mild symptoms and did not require oxygen.
On the other hand, the other 34 infected individuals who were not fully vaccinated required more support: six needed oxygen, two are currently under intensive care and one had passed away from complications, according to TODAYonline.
In fact, 57% of all community cases involving fully vaccinated individuals showed no symptoms and none had experienced any severe illnesses that required intensive care.
What is the Point of Vaccines?
Mr Gan had already pointed out that more than half of vaccinated community cases were asymptomatic and none had severe disease, which was consistent with the international experience and emerging evidence of the efficacy of vaccines.
“Data which came out from Israel last week showed that infection rate amongst unvaccinated persons was 91.5 per 100,000 person-days, while that for fully vaccinated persons was 3.1 per 100,000 person-days.
“Hospitalisation rates were 2.7 for unvaccinated and 0.2 for the fully vaccinated,” he said.
Vaccines are therefore highly effective in reducing transmission risk and protecting individuals against more severe variants.
If you want the whole breakdown on how vaccines work, click here to read more. Or if you’re not much of a reader, check this video out:
COVID-19 Strains
Ugh, strains and mutations, the things which are making this pesky virus even more difficult to tackle.
Mr Gan noted that our country has detected 10 different variants of the virus among local and imported cases. Given that Singapore cannot shut its borders, he stated that the appearance of the variants was expected.
More transmissible and severe strains, such as B16172, is believed to be the beginning of the clusters at TTSH and the Tuas South community care facility.
Another strain, B1617—which the B16172 strain is a sublineage of—was also uncovered at Changi Airport’s terminals. The B1617 strain, also known as the Indian variant, has also been recently declared a variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Mr Gan warned, “[w]hile the definitive characteristics of this variant remain unknown, the large clusters and rapid transmission we see locally is concerning, as it suggests that infections of this strain can spread quickly and widely.”
Such scenarios have already played out in many other countries, where the resurgence of cases are likely due to the mutated virus.
Protection Against New Variants
Again, while vaccines may not be 100% effective against the virus or its variants, Mr Gan emphasised that getting vaccinated can help prevent severe illness and reduce the risk of transmission.
Ultimately, it is most effective alongside other measures such as mask-wearing, safe distancing, testing, contact tracing and quarantine measures.
TODAYonline also notes that the international consensus is that the current COVID-19 vaccines can provide some protection against the new variants due to the broad immune response triggered by the jab.
Mr Gan reassured that the authorities will continue to monitor the developments in this area and will adjust the nationwide vaccination programme if needed.
Feature Image: CEPTAP / Shutterstock.com
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
Read Also:
- Woman Tried Bribing Officer in S’pore Immigration, Thinking It’s a M’sia Officer
- There Might Not Be Crazy Rich Asians 2 in the Near Future
- Everything About Donald Trump’s Controversial Cabinet’s Picks That Are Known So Far
- Pet-Friendly Cafe Just 10 Minutes Away From JB CIQ Has Furry Floral Decor, Pastries & Mains
- 4 Handrolls For S$4 At Japanese Handroll Bar In Duxton Road On 17 November 2024
- Everything About The Deepfake Nude Photo Scandal in S’pore Sports School
Advertisements
