To everyone’s relief, Singapore has been seeing one-digit daily cases as of late, a sharp contrast from the first half of the year where the numbers were jumping by the thousands per day.
While life has been somewhat been returning to as normal as it can get, as malls and restaurants are always crowded on the weekends and more people are returning to work, karaoke joints and clubs are still not open, to the dismay of many young folks.
Perhaps it’s this upcoming transition to Phase 3 that led to Mdm Ho Ching, the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, penning her thoughts about the importance of young people’s roles in stopping the COVID-19 spread on Facebook.
You can read the full post here.
New Waves Overseas
Starting off her post, Mdm Ho highlighted the fact that continents such as Europe and across the United States were starting to see a spike in COVID-19 cases yet again as part of a second wave of infections.
Countries that had low infection rates in the first half of the year have also been starting to grow in cases now.
Recently, two countries have imposed lockdowns again.
Attributing the main driving force of the new waves to young people in their 20s and 30s, Mdm Ho stated that young people are very mobile, with most of them not showing symptoms or having mild ones. It’s not just Mdm Ho’s claim, with the World Health Organisation having announced this fact previously back in August.
“Some may get very sick or die later, but most of them are very mobile physically and socially before and just after their symptoms begin to show,” she wrote, saying that this is when they are most infectious.
Mdm Ho also cited studies showing that before a person is sick enough to visit a doctor, 3 to 4 generations of cases could have been spread by that time, causing silent clusters to build up before a sudden surge in the amount of cases. After cases of young people were reported, more cases were discovered in a second wave 8 to 12 weeks later.
Despite the danger of the risks, the only consolation remains safe distancing measures and other measures such as wearing masks, for they may decrease transmission rates and lower the severity of the virus due to a smaller viral load, she added.
Long-Term Health Risks May Arise
Warning young people not to take their health lightly, Mdm Ho also claimed that although the minority of young people can get very sick, long-term health risks may arise for those who have recovered from the virus.
These illnesses that suddenly hit may include diabetes, other vital organ dysfunctions in the heart, brain, and lungs. Sudden heart failure or stroke have also caused some recovered patients to die or become disabled, while others are suffering from a foggy brain.
Survival is not the only goal, she wrote, urging young people to be aware of the post-recovery risks and “not just take Covid lightly because they think the Covid mortality rate is low for them.”
Stay Vigilant
With the increase of screenings and faster detection of positive COVID-19 cases to segregate them as well as the resources to do so at a more affordable rate, Mdm Ho called for these measures to be implemented as soon as possible.
Now that the number of community cases is low, Singapore should not be complacent and step up these protective systems without delay so that we can open up our economy without facing another wave of outbreaks like other countries.
“Let’s not tire now when the storm is raging all around us, threatening to peak in the weeks and months to come, and we must re-open and stay open for business, jobs, and livelihoods,” she added, stating that we have to remain prepared for the marathon that is 2021.
With this public service announcement, which has gained over 1.4K shares and 250 comments, netizens have been agreeing with Mdm Ho’s stand and thanking her for the well-informed post, encouraging fellow Singaporeans to remain safe and take precautions. This might also serve as a wake-up call to some who have been starting to take safety measures lightly.
Especially the younger folks, of course.
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