According to data collated by statistics site Our World in Data, Singapore has conducted an average of 7.6 tests for each confirmed case since the COVID-19 outbreak started. This is compared to 18 test in Japan, 84.9 in South Korea, and 250.4 tests in New Zealand.

What the graph below tells us is that for every 7.6 COVID-19 tests conducted in Singapore, one will be positive. The data for Singapore is as of 1 June. We also note that the number of tests is different from the number of people tested, as one person may be tested more than once.

According to Our World in Data, Singapore’s test numbers are based on reports from the Ministry of Health on the number of people that have been tested and the number of swab tests that have been conducted, both of which the ministry started reporting on 10 April.

The site noted that countries with very few tests per confirmed case are unlikely to be testing widely enough to find all cases.

Singapore’s 7.6 tests per confirmed cases is still below the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of 10 to 30 as the benchmark for adequate testing.

In a World Health Organisation (WHO) briefing on 30 March, Dr Michael Ryan said, “In general where testing has been done fairly extensively we’ve seen somewhere between 3 and 12 percent of tests being positive…we would certainly like to see countries testing at the level of ten negative tests to one positive as a general benchmark of a system that’s doing enough testing to pick up all cases.“

Now, the Singapore government has repeatedly stated that the high number of positive cases in the country is due to extensive testing.

On 19 May, the Ministry of Health’s director of medical services Associate Professor Kenneth Mak said in a briefing that over 281,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted to day on 191,000 unique individuals. That’s about 49,000 tests per million people being carried out in Singapore, he noted.

On 14 May, Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo had urged the public not to be “overly alarmed” as the number of positive cases among the migrant worker population in Singapore increases as this is due to “comprehensive” and “aggressive” testing being carried out.

She said, “Few countries have tested their migrant populations extensively; far fewer have undertaken to test all their migrant workers, as Singapore has.”

Even earlier on 27 April, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said, “Our testing capacity for migrant workers is about 3,000 a day. We have not reduced it. Instead we have been increasing the capacity of testing of our migrant workers. The rate of testing has not slowed”

“A total of 21,000 migrant workers living in dormitories have been tested since the start of the outbreak. This means that 1 in 15 migrant workers in dormitories have been tested.”

On the same day, the MOH said in a statement, “To date, Singapore has tested about 2,100 per 100,000 persons. In comparison, the US has tested 1,600 per 100,000 and the UK 1,000 per 100,000. “

It added, “From an average of 2,900 tests per day in early April, we are now able to conduct more than 8,000 tests per day. “ (Note that the test capacity stated is different from actual tests conducted.)

However, all these statements and explanation from various ministers and the MOH do not quite tally with the graph above.

While it’s true that Singapore conducts a high number of tests per capita, we also have a higher percentage of positive cases in this country based on the population.

The extensive testing is also targeted towards people who are exhibiting symptoms, close contacts of infected patients, and those in high risk areas such as isolated foreign worker dormitories. Singapore is not simply testing everyone.

As such, what this Our World in Data graph likely indicates is that there might be cases within the community that have yet to be diagnosed due to how the tests are conducted compared to other countries.

As you can see in the graph, the number of tests conducted by New Zealand goes far beyond the number of confirmed cases.

That’s 250.4 tests for one confirmed cased compared to Singapore’s 7.6. So is Singapore really testing as extensively as the government says?

Subscribe
Notify of
12 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
You May Also Like

再有三名马籍巴士司机状告新捷运

再有三名巴士司机,向本地巴士业者新捷运(SBS Transit)另一起诉讼,指责后者在加班和休假日工酬上涉嫌“违反雇佣法令”。 Carson律师楼在脸书证实上述诉讼,并透露上述巴士司机都是马国人,刚在上周向推事庭提呈诉状。他们的申诉也和此前的五名巴士司机一样。 该律师楼律师拉维(M RAVI)将代表他们申诉。 在今年九月底,五名巴士司机分别状告本地巴士业者新捷运,指责后者违反加班工酬条款,支付不足工酬。 原告指责他们被预期在休假日之前,可“连续7日工作无休”,这不符合双方同意的聘任书,故此可能违反《雇佣法》36条,即员工理应每周获得休息日,或者值班超过30小时理应获休假。 他们也控诉,被要求“每周工作超过44小时”,认为这违反《雇佣法》规定的法定工时。 新捷运在10月18日,宣布把上述薪资诉讼,申请从推事庭转移到工业仲裁庭(IAC)审理。诉讼在11月4日开审,诠释新捷运和全国交通工友联合会(NTWU)签署的集体协定中,有关超时工作和休息日的条款,是否符合法律规定。 不过,根据法官书面判决,指新捷运在休息日、超时工作薪酬和工时方面,未违反上述集体协定。 法官是根据新捷运提供的雇佣合同、轮值表和薪酬计算样本作判断,也指休息日条款也未违反雇佣法。 在此前的听证上新捷运指,据雇佣法一些重要服务领域如公共交通,该公司可要求司机工作超过法定工时。…

MP Sylvia Lim asks if there are loopholes that need to be plugged to ensure higher public safety in building works

On Wednesday (4 March), during the committee of supply debate in Parliament,…

Health Minister says sorry for data-leak of 14,200 HIV-positive individuals

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong apologised for the leaking of confidential information…