SINGAPORE — Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has said that Singapore’s current Covid-19 measures work and are appropriate as there is a low number of people coming to Singapore from China so far and contributing to severe cases in the country, and the lack of any new, more virulent variant emerging there.
This was said in Parliament on Monday (9 Jan) by the Minister in response to questions raised by many Members of Parliament concerned over the reopening of borders of China on 8 January and the alleged outbreak of cases there.
Singapore has said that it will maintain its current measures when it comes to inbound travellers, while many other countries have started to make PCR tests mandatory for travellers from China regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. Currently, Incoming travellers to Singapore need to be fully vaccinated based on World Health Organisation (WHO) standards or produce a negative pre-departure test.
The Health Minister pointed out that ASEAN countries, instead, accounted for half of the imported cases in Singapore, 15 per cent were from the rest of Asia, 11 per cent from Europe and 9 per cent from the Middle East.
Of the seven imported cases — mostly returning Singaporeans — that led to severe illness, only one was from China.
Mr Ong shared in his ministerial statement that Singapore currently welcomes 38 weekly flights from China which brings in 700 to 1,000 travellers a day. A figure which is less than 10 per cent of the pre-COVID-19 number.
He also noted that about 200 travellers from China were detected to have Covid-19 in the last four weeks of 2022, which is less than 5 per cent of all imported cases in that period.
The Ministry of Transport will carefully calibrate any adjustments from the current low travel volume, at least until the infection wave has clearly subsided, said Mr Ong.
He added, “In China, many scientists believe that the current infection wave in China has started to subside, especially the major Chinese cities. It will probably take a few more weeks for the trend to be very clear and we can then progressively restore pre-COVID flight volumes between our two countries.”
Furthermore, the data from a non-profit organisation, Gisaid, shows that the epidemic in China is driven by variants that are well-known and have been circulating in other regions of the world, and Singapore’s sequencing efforts on infected travellers from China further support this.
“But we cannot be complacent. The measures may work now, but not permanently,” he said. “We will continually assess the situation and, if need be, make adjustments or implement new measures at all times. Our decisions must be based on science on evidence and on data.”
Mr Ong said the great majority of people in Singapore have also been vaccinated or have recovered from mild infections, so the population has developed strong hybrid immunity
“Hence, with extensive vaccination coverage, we can treat Covid-19 as an endemic disease. Like Influenza, top line infection numbers should no longer be our pre-occupation.”
What worries Singapore most now is the emergence of a new and known and more dangerous variant of concern, said Mr Ong.
“Our main worry that is that with the virus continuing to spread throughout the world, there is a higher chance that a new variant of concern me much from anywhere in the world. It may possess worrying characteristics, escape vaccine protection, be more infectious, more likely to lead to severe illnesses, which would be very bad news. A nightmare variant can knock us almost back to square one.”
“We must then be prepared to hunker down. We may need to reinstate measures such as strict border controls, quarantine for travellers, social restrictions, including limit on group sizes until a new and effective and effective vaccine is developed.”
“So in short, our key concerns are firstly, the emergence of a new and more dangerous variant. And second, even in the absence of a new dangerous variant to protect our healthcare system against having too many severe cases.”
As for vaccinations among the population, Mr Ong said that COVID 19 vaccinations have become part of the new normal for an endemic disease like influenza.
“Vaccinations are encouraged every year, which will help avoid many deaths. COVID-19 is heading the same way. The current situation, where we feel threatened by rising infections around us is a clear illustration why vaccination needs to be an integral part of our ongoing defense against endemic COVID-19.”
He shared that, as of 31st December 2022, about 60 per cent of individuals aged 16 years and above are up to date with their vaccinations. About 13,000 individuals are taking the Bivalent vaccine on a daily basis. And now, with the introduction of Bivalent formulations for both Moderna and Pfizer
137 out of 194 imported cases in South Korea from China
70 per cent of imported cases reported on last Thursday (5 Jan) in South Korea were from China for a short-term visit or less than 90 days.
The travellers tested positive for COVID-19 when PCR tests became mandatory for all arrivals from the country, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
South Korea took steps in December last year to limit travellers from mainland China, imposing visa restrictions, testing requirements and limiting flights as China opens up its border on 8 January after years of self-isolation.
Under the new measure, for the next two months, travellers from China must provide a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours before boarding a plane to South Korea, or a negative antigen test within 24 hours before departure. They will also be required to undergo a PCR test within the first day of their arrival.
However, passengers entering Korea for business trips, humanitarian purposes, children under the age of six and those diagnosed with the virus within 10 to 40 days are not subject to the mandate.
Other countries such as United States, Japan, Italy and India have announced that all travellers from China must provide a negative Covid-19 test to enter their countries.
Taiwan authorities are also requiring travellers from China to take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival in Taiwan, starting on 1 January.
EU countries are “strongly encouraged” to demand Covid tests from passengers coming from China, a crisis meeting of European Union experts decided last Wednesday.
The meeting also recommended that passengers to and from China wear face masks, that EU countries conduct random tests on arrivals and test wastewater from flights from China, according to a statement issued by the Swedish presidency of the EU.
On waste water testing, Mr Ong said it is best done on residential premises like dormitories and housing estates, because virus fragments can only be detected from solid waste.
“So the sample capture from plane toilets for a relatively short duration flight from China to Singapore is likely to be very small and off limited use.” said the Heath Minister.
