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SINGAPORE: More imported cases of COVID-19 have been detected among people entering Singapore in recent weeks, with the daily number reaching 48 on Sunday (January 24).
This coincides with the one-day high in the first wave of imported cases last year, when 48 imported cases were reported on March 23, 2020. All short-term visitors have been banned from entering or transiting Singapore since 11 a.m. : 59 pm that day.
After that, the number of imported boxes dropped over the next two weeks to almost none, and this continued through the “breaker” period in April and May, and into June.
Starting in July, the number of imported cases began to rise, but was typically in the single digits each day, reaching 15 or 18 cases on some days. The number began to increase in mid-December and in January it ranged from 10 to 48 per day.
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Education Minister and COVID-19 task force co-chair Lawrence Wong said Monday that the rise in imported cases is not due to “a large volume of people” entering Singapore, and that the two largest groups that enter the country are construction. foreign workers and domestic workers.
“Those are the two most important sources of travelers coming to Singapore, and the daily numbers have not increased, they have been roughly the same as of late,” he said in a dialogue session at the 2021 Singapore Outlook Conference.
“Why have the numbers increased? It is simply because the prevalence rate, the incidence rate of the disease is much higher. Now, the virus is sweeping countries around the world.”
STRONG QUARANTINE MEASURES
Experts said Singapore has strong quarantine measures to prevent imported cases from spreading locally.
“In that sense, I do not find the increase in the number of imported cases to be extremely worrying. We have quite strong quarantine measures, which block most of the risk of spread to the resident population,” said the associate professor. Alex Cook, vice dean for research at the National University of Singapore’s Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
For visitors from most countries and territories, they must submit a 14-day stay-at-home notice at a dedicated facility and take a COVID-19 test upon arrival, as well as at the end of their stay-at-home notice. home.
They need a valid reason to enter, so they must be a permanent resident or a returning permanent resident of Singapore, their family members, a student pass holder or a work pass holder.
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The measures have also been tightened recently for arrivals from some countries, with a 21-day isolation period for anyone traveling from the UK or South Africa. Additionally, rapid COVID-19 antigen testing has been implemented for freight conductors entering Singapore from Malaysia through ground checkpoints.
However, visitors from several countries with low rates of COVID-19 infection, including mainland China, Vietnam, New Zealand and most of Australia, are exempt from the stay-at-home notice requirements. Short-term visitors are also allowed if they apply for an Air Travel Pass.
It is “safe and sensible” to allow travelers from countries and territories with a low number of COVID-19 cases to enter with short or no quarantine periods, said Professor Dale Fisher, an infectious disease expert.
“The ability to quarantine travelers is a finite resource and we should not waste it on travelers from countries with or virtually no COVID. That traveler is at exceptionally low risk,” said Professor Fisher of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine of the National University. from Singapore.
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HALF OF RECENT IMPORTED CASES FROM INDIA, INDONESIA
As of Wednesday, there have been a total of 2,568 imported COVID-19 cases in Singapore, of which 2,276 cases were isolated before testing positive.
According to figures tabulated by the CNA, there have been almost 1,500 imported cases since October 1. Among these, arrivals from India and Indonesia account for about half of the cases, and there have been around 100 cases from Bangladesh and 92 cases from Myanmar.
To put things in perspective, the number of arrivals in Singapore was 14,676 in November, a slight increase from 13,397 visitors in October. The December numbers are not yet publicly available.
The chart below the Ministry of Health (MINSA) situation report of January 25 shows the steepest increase in the number of COVID-19 cases relative to arrivals around December.
(Source: Ministry of Health Situation Report on COVID-19, January 25, 2021)
For November, travelers from China made up the largest group of arrivals with 4,007 visitors. Indonesia followed with 3,121 people arriving in Singapore, followed by Malaysia. Travelers from India made up the seventh largest group with 500 people that month.
Mr Wong explained on Monday that while people entering Singapore are tested for COVID-19 prior to departure, they are not “foolproof” as they could be incubating the virus. This is why most receive a stay-at-home notice on arrival.
“We will continue to take (these precautions) to ensure that even though we have a steady stream of people coming in, which is necessary for Singapore, the economy and society to function, … we isolate these cases so they don’t leak into our community, “he said.
“NOTHING IS WATERPROOF”
The experts pointed out some places where the virus can enter the Singapore community, such as the airport and quarantine places, where many people are involved in managing arriving travelers.
“Nothing is airtight and attention to infection prevention protocols by travelers and hotel quarantine managers and their workers is critical,” said Professor Fisher.
“In other countries, we have seen new clusters after being COVID-free for even 100 days, so we know that border infection control breaches occasionally occur.”
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Associate Professor Cook said that even so, border controls don’t need to be completely waterproof.
“The measures we have to prevent transmission in the community should be sufficient to clean up the infections that break the cord,” he said.
However, it is concerned that more communicable variants are being established here, such as those first reported by the UK and South Africa. The variants have been reported to be 30 to 70 percent more contagious.
“It was just reported that some of the community cases earlier this month had the B117 strain, so the risk is real, although the numbers are still quite small,” he said.
“As this virus is more communicable, there are more opportunities for secondary cases and, in turn, greater potential for it to become established in the community and jeopardize the success of our safe management measures.”
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The Health Ministry has been monitoring different strains of the virus for the past year as it mutates, said Director of Communicable Diseases Associate Professor Vernon Lee, speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event to show how the Ministry of Health contacts job markers.
“The approach to dealing with all these strains is similar: we detect cases as early as possible. We fence them through contact tracing and, of course, testing, quarantine … If we contain it, it won’t spread, so that’s a dead end, and no matter what tension it is. “
To make sure imported cases don’t turn into local clusters, it’s still important to follow safe distancing measures and also get vaccinated when available, both experts said.
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“Lately, many of the cases that we have identified in the community had symptoms but were slow to be diagnosed … For most of us, the most important thing we can do besides vaccinate, adhere to the use of masks and social distancing is Esté alert to your own symptoms, “said associate professor Cook.
“Don’t allow cold or flu symptoms to last more than a day or two before you go to the doctor for a swab, just in case it’s COVID-19. The same sensitivity to symptoms should be encouraged in any traveler “.
CARRYING OUT MAJOR EVENTS
As Singapore prepares to host larger events involving foreign visitors, current measures will have an important role to play in reducing the risk of possible transmission.
The country will host the Special Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in May, and the Shangri-La Dialogue will resume this year.
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Professor Fisher said the risk of large gatherings is that they can become “high-profile events.”
To avoid that, infectious people must first be prevented from participating in the event. If a COVID-19 box slips, steps must be taken to minimize the impact on others.
“This will mean keeping groups small, minimizing mixing between groups, ensuring safe distancing and wearing masks. All of our tools will play a role, including vaccination and testing,” he added.
Frequent testing would be essential to nip any chain of transmission in the bud, Associate Professor Cook said. Testing at the border and monitoring visitor itineraries would also reduce the risk of these events spreading to the community, he added.
“I am confident that the events will be well organized to reduce this risk. After all, Singapore will be eager to show the world that we can handle such large events safely,” he said.
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