Co-chair of the Multi Ministry Task Force, Lawrence Wong, spoke at a press conference yesterday (2 October).
He said that the Covid restrictions are aimed at slowing the rate of increase of transmission, instead of aiming to bring down the total number of daily infections.
Wong said that the number of daily cases could peak anywhere between 5,000 to 10,000 cases, and that it is hard to determine the peak, and that no model can predict certainly what the curve of the epidemic will look like in the coming weeks.
Wong emphasized on the importance of being ready for the different possible outcomes.
He told the people who wished to continue opening up, to be patient and that the government’s overall strategy towards reopening hasn’t changed.
However, he noted the stress on our healthcase system with the current infection wave.
Wong also addressed those who are hoping for tighter restrictions to bring down the daily number of cases, saying that “we have gone beyond that point”.
He said that the current strategy is to focus on making sure our healthcare system can cope for Covid patients who are seriously ill, urging people not to get too anxious or fearful about the daily case numbers.
Wong added that presently, 98% of the Covid patients in Signapore are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.
He said:
“For the 98 percent of cases, there is nothing to be fearful about. In fact, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about if you catch Covid because sooner or later, many of us will end up catching the virus.”
Images source: Lawrence Wong Facebook