Right on track!

[dredd]

Meanwhile, even when the antivaxxers here kpkb about unfair practices and discrimination, the march towards a post-pandemic world goes on...

SG Vaccination Data (as of 09 Aug 2021)​

Received at least First Dose

4,373,550

Completed Full Vaccination Regimen

3,897,650

Total Doses Administered

8,145,237

 

[Linglinglonglong]

It's going to be pretty hard to achieve herd immunity with a vaccine that is only effective for a few months. Proper herd immunity should be achieved by flattening the curve so that the virus can do its thing without overwhelming the health system.

The moment a covid recoverer can kena again the odds of an effective vac is not possible since vac means Ur antibody from previous infections keeps new infection at bay. This should be treated like dengue and chickenpox. Support system to help Ur body survive thru the wave.

 

[dredd]

Wow! A jump of almost 200K doses vaccinated within 2 days.

Singapore Vaccination Data (as of 11 Aug 2021)​

Received at least First Dose

4,466,037

Completed Full Vaccination Regimen

3,992,931

Total Doses Administered

8,332,030

 

[dredd]

Singapore shows what life’s like at 70pc vaccination​

A deserted street in Singapore’s Chinatown area this week. Bloomberg

Emma ConnorsSouth-east Asia correspondent
Aug 13, 2021 – 12.59pm
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Singapore | The temperature screening points that have loomed large at every office block, shopping mall and many restaurants and bars in Singapore are losing their power. For a year and a half, these machines have ruled lives. Often you were required to dip your forehead to get the sensor to work, which felt like a weird sort of obeisance to the pandemic gods.
And, always, the shot of anxiety as you waited for the light to flash green. What would happen if you didn’t get the electronic OK? Would you just be refused entry? Or would a pack of PPE-clad workers suddenly appear and take your too-hot body away?
But no more. As part of the new regime, temperature screening will no longer required. The exposure alerts that warned if you had been near someone who had since tested positive for COVID-19 have also gone quiet, removed from the mandatory app.
This week Singapore passed the 70 per cent vaccination mark, and the island nation is expected to hit 80 per cent by the end of the month. This, everyone most earnestly hopes, is the beginning of a new era, that of a COVID-19-resilient nation opening up to the world.
Many of the details are still to be worked out. Is there a simpler way to check on international vaccinations than a blood test, for example? What to do when the next variant, possibly even more contagious than delta, comes along? How to manage regional relations when neighbouring countries are still overwhelmed?

No longer mandatory: temperature checks in Singapore. Bloomberg
The government is working on the answers and not every solution is to everyone’s liking. There will inevitably be setbacks. Still, after months of on-again, off-again restrictions, there is a sense the small city state with a population just larger than Sydney’s is finally moving on. And it’s doing so by following the philosophy espoused by China’s Deng Xiaoping.

Slow and steady​

A ‘feeling the stones’ approach to ‘crossing the river’ from closed to open economic and societal states is a prudent approach, says Devadas Krishnadas, who held fiscal and policy development roles in government before founding a management consulting firm. It’s an approach Singapore has deployed successfully in the past, he says.
“Generally, in high risk and highly uncertain areas, such as alternative energy or water reclamation, the government has taken a step-by-step approach,” he says. It typically starts by investing in research and development, then trying small-scale pilots to prove concepts and then, finally, advancing to full-scale and expensive projects.

“This is the approach we took with our floating solar farms and our water reclamation.” It worked, with the two innovations now “mainstreamed into our power grid and our water supply chain respectively”.
The government is rolling out various preventative and care measures as it seeks to mainstream its approach to COVID-19 as an endemic disease. This can, the government hopes, be managed in a way that permits travel and where there is no need for blunt approaches to infection control such as lockdowns, mass temperature screening and broadcast alerts to anyone who may have been within cooee of a case.

RELATED​

Singapore raises GDP forecast as economy opens up​

COVID-19 has not been eradicated in Singapore. In the past week, there have been 543 new cases. As of Thursday, there were 470 active cases in hospital. Most are asymptomatic, but 36 are seriously ill and requiring oxygen, while nine are in intensive care.
It’s clear that vaccination sometimes fails. As most now realise, vaccinated people can still become infected and infect others. The difference is the vaccinated tend not to get seriously ill. In the last four weeks, 8.7 per cent of those in Singapore who caught the SARS-Cov-2 virus that causes COVID-19 and were unvaccinated became severely ill. This dropped to 0.9 per cent of the fully vaccinated who became infected.

Hesitancy​

In a carrot-and-stick approach to overcoming vaccine hesitancy, groups of up to five who are fully jabbed can now dine and mix freely. However, the government has not taken up the suggestion of a former diplomat, Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh, who wrote on Facebook that unvaccinated people should be barred from not just restaurants but also supermarkets, markets, concerts, weddings, sports events and even places of religious worship. You can still get a table if you are unvaccinated but can produce a recent negative test and there is no vaccination requirement for couples at coffeeshops and hawker markets.
Anywhere else, though, waiters won’t hand over a menu – or even take a coffee order – until you’ve produced the app with proof you’re at least two weeks past what the World Health Organisation requires for any of the vaccines included on its emergency health use authorisation.
For foreigners with work visas, there is also good news – as long as they’re vaccinated. Some who normally reside in Singapore were stuck outside for weeks when the drawbridge was raised during delta outbreaks in recent months. Entry applications began to get approved again this week, while processing of new applications will be held up until the backlog has cleared.
Those keen to apply for employment passes typically used by white-collar professions shouldn’t bother, though, unless they are fully jabbed – and don’t mind proving it with a blood test. Serology tests will be mandatory once quarantine is over. That result will enable individuals to register as vaccinated with the National Immunisation Registry and start booking restaurants freely.

Singapore’s cautious opening up comes as other south-east Asian nations struggle to get vaccinations to the point where the rate of severe infection abates. In nearby Malaysia, just under 30 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated, a rapid increase from just under 10 per cent a month ago. The nation is still in the eye of the delta storm, with more than 200,000 active cases and hundreds of deaths each day.

Real stories​

It takes individual stories to give an idea of the extent of personal loss. The death on Monday of popular Malaysian singer Siti Sarah, who was eight months pregnant when she became ill, is one such tragedy. Husband Shahmira Muhammad said he didn’t take his wife, carrying their third child, to hospital fast enough. When he did, they were at first refused entry. Her condition deteriorated after she was finally admitted. She gave birth by caesarean section after she was put in an induced coma. Three days later she died.
Siti Sarah was not vaccinated. “COVID-19 is real.” Shahmira said in a video posted on Facebook. “I used to be one of those who didn’t believe in COVID-19, but then it happened to me.”
Perhaps surprisingly, Malaysia has also signalled it is ready, like Singapore, to allow some vaccinated travellers to swap hotel quarantine with stay-at-home notices. The measure will apply to those coming from Singapore. The city state is unlikely to reciprocate any time soon. For now, its limited relaxation for work pass holders will extend only to eight of the countries it judges to be lower in risk: Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, Italy, Norway, South Korea and Switzerland.
Singapore has signalled it hopes to allow more international travel from next month. Pre-pandemic, many Singaporeans thought nothing of travelling elsewhere in Asia, the Pacific or even to Europe for a long weekend. This week a survey found 44 per cent of Singaporeans plan to travel in the next three months, up from 20 per cent a month ago.

RELATED​

Indonesia’s hopes for sharp economic rebound slip away as cases surge​

What happens next is all up to the virus that is busy replicating itself in millions of people across the world and throwing up new variants as it goes. Singapore’s cautious approach to opening up could be thrown into reverse if the virus once again got the upper hand. Such a scenario could arise if vaccines proved to be ineffective against a new strain.
Gabriel Lim, permanent secretary of Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, told reporters this week that the government is carefully monitoring infection rates in nations that have already opened up. On the plus side, the UK appears to have stabilised. On the other hand, the situation in Israel is not “quite as benign”.
“We are treating the virus with the utmost respect,” Mr Lim said. “It has proven to be quite wily and quite formidable.”

 

[cowbellc]

Then why bother counting cases? We don't publish daily case numbers for other diseases so why bother with Covid which has always been a mild disease in the first place even before vaccines were available?

It's not about getting this disease over with but about getting it under total control.
To put it bluntly, it's all about showing off, if you get my meaning

 

[dredd]

It's not about getting this disease over with but about getting it under total control.
To put it bluntly, it's all about showing off, if you get my meaning

Disease cannot be over with. It can only be lived with in an endemic way, much like the common flu. That's the plan.

 

[dredd]

People vaccinated overseas can verify Covid-19 vaccination record at designated clinics in S'pore​

The record will be uploaded to the individual's HealthHub and TraceTogether apps if the serology test indicates that there are antibodies present.ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Toh Ting Wei

• PUBLISHED
  AUG 11, 2021, 10:39 PM SGT

FACEBOOKTWITTER

SINGAPORE - Individuals who received Covid-19 vaccinations overseas can visit designated clinics to verify their records for use in Singapore.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Aug 11) that they can go to a clinic listed by the Health Ministry at this website to kick-start the verification process.
They will have to show their overseas vaccination record and undergo a serology test to detect the presence of Covid-19 antibodies, said Mr Ong.

The record will be uploaded into the individual's HealthHub and TraceTogether apps if the serology test indicates that there are antibodies present.
Mr Ong said those who had the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna vaccine will get the record updated in about two days after their medical provider has submitted the details to the National Immunisation Registry.
Those who were given other vaccines on the World Health Organisation's emergency use listing, such as the Sinovac or AstraZeneca vaccine, will have their vaccination records reflected only on the HealthHub app for the time being. HealthHub is a portal that allows users to access their public health records and medical appointments online.

Mr Ong said that the authorities are working to upload these records to the TraceTogether app, which facilitates contact tracing, by the end of the month.
He said he was responding to some "top-of-mind questions" after Covid-19 restrictions were eased to allow dining in from Tuesday.
On a question about how individuals who are unable to be vaccinated can join their family for meals, Mr Ong said they can take a pre-event test at an approved provider. Each test costs about $20 and is valid for 24 hours.
"But that merely shows you are not likely to have the virus," Mr Ong added.

"It does not protect you from being infected. So please be careful."
He also said that children under 12 who cannot be vaccinated yet can dine out. But they must be seated with people from the same household and the group size must not exceed five people.

On what happens if someone uses a vaccination certificate from another person, Mr Ong said the authorities are aware that "such illegal practices are going on".
"The authorities will enforce against this and offenders will face severe penalty," he said.
"It is not worth it. Take a pre-event test if you have to attend a dinner or event."

MORE ON THIS TOPIC​

askST: If I am not vaccinated but have tested negative for Covid-19, can I eat in a restaurant?​

Recovered individuals still need pre-event Covid-19 test exemption from a clinic to dine in: MOH​

People who had allergic reactions after the first dose of an mRNA vaccine will be invited to have the Sinovac inactivated virus vaccine, Mr Ong said.
They can also go to any vaccination centre to verify that they cannot receive a second dose because of an allergy, said Mr Ong. They will then receive an SMS invitation.
The current 200,000 doses of the Government's stock of Sinovac vaccine have already been allocated. New stocks are expected to arrive in the next four to six weeks.
Individuals who do not want any of the Sinovac or mRNA vaccines can wait for the Novavax protein-based Covid-19 vaccine. Supplies are expected to start arriving before the end of the year, said Mr Ong.

 

[mojito]

Unbelievable! An average of 47,000 Sinkees being fully vaccinated per day on average. Currently over 3.2 million sinkees are fully vaccinated. If this continues Sinkeepoo will have 80% of its shitizens fully vaccinated by the end of August. This will mean Sinkeepoo is one of the cuntries with the highest number of vaccinated people in the world.

Let me get my pen and paper to work out the math behind this.

 

[dredd]

Let me get my pen and paper to work out the math behind this.

By the time you work out the math another 100000 sinkees would have been innoculated. We are moving ahead and I wouldn't be surprised if we will be the first to get out of this funk. Kudos to all the sensible Sinkees who choose to believe science and data rather than lies and misinformation.

 

[mojito]

By the time you work out the math another 100000 sinkees would have been innoculated. We are moving ahead and I wouldn't be surprised if we will be the first to get out of this funk. Kudos to all the sensible Sinkees who choose to believe science and data rather than lies and misinformation.

Buddy, the only reason we met the target is probably accepting the weak sauce non mRNA vaxxings like sinovac. Do they meet a minimum threshold for efficacy? You youngsters whine about unaccredited degrees and degree mills FTs but when it comes to vaxxings u sing a different tune. Truly the Singapore education system trained you well to be uncritical automatons.

 

[dredd]

Buddy, the only reason we met the target is probably accepting the weak sauce non mRNA vaxxings like sinovac. Do they meet a minimum threshold for efficacy? You youngsters whine about unaccredited degrees and degree mills FTs but when it comes to vaxxings u sing a different tune. Truly the Singapore education system trained you well to be uncritical automatons.

Whatever vaccine is fine, as long as it protects against serious illness or death. This objective holds the key to living with the disease in an endemic way. It's high time we need to ease up restrictions and open economies. We need to think more about our lives in a post pandemic world and how to improve on it for ourselves and our loved ones instead of harping day in day out about vaccinations that are safe and clearly works.

I'll be honest. When you have lived in other countries and have travelled extensively like I do for work, you will come to appreciate what we have in Sinkeepoo. Here everything works and our wellbeing is cared for. I think many Sinkees who have seen the world will agree with me on this point.

 

[mojito]

Whatever vaccine is fine, as long as it protects against serious illness or death. This objective holds the key to living with the disease in an endemic way. It's high time we need to ease up restrictions and open economies. We need to think more about our lives in a post pandemic world and how to improve on it for ourselves and our loved ones instead of harping day in day out about vaccinations that are safe and clearly works.

I'll be honest. When you have lived in other countries and have travelled extensively like I do for work, you will come to appreciate what we have in Sinkeepoo. Here everything works and our wellbeing is cared for. I think many Sinkees who have seen the world will agree with me on this point.

The only place you ever travelled is to Pattaya to sell your buttocks lah. Chey!

 

[Leongsam]

I'll be honest. When you have lived in other countries and have travelled extensively like I do for work, you will come to appreciate what we have in Sinkeepoo. Here everything works and our wellbeing is cared for. I think many Sinkees who have seen the world will agree with me on this point.

I've seen the world. I've lived in the USA, I have lived in London, OZ and NZ and spent decades under PAP rule.

The PAP took care of me like an over protective mother following me around to make sure I did not catch as much as a chill. I hated it to the core.

Escaping her clutches was so liberating I was in 7th heaven. In NZ scanning the tracing QR code is optional, there are no penalties for not taking the vaccine. I can sit with anyone regardless of their health status. In fact their health status is protected by the privacy act.

A friend of mine had a heart attack 3 years ago and had to quit work. When he recovered he applied for a new job and was not required to declare his past medical history. In Singapore he would be history. No company would risk hiring him.

In NZ if there is no law saying you can't do something it means you can go ahead and do it. In Singapore unless there is a law saying you can do it it's forbidden.

Give me NZ anytime. I'm a grown man I don't want nanny PAP following me around changing my nappies every 2 hours.

Things are a bit more risky here compared to sinkieland but the freedom gained far outweighs the downsides. Life is about weighing risk vs reward isn't it. I've even managed to launch a second career as an on line pimp without ending up in the slammer.

 

[dredd]

I've seen the world. I've lived in the USA, I have lived in London, OZ and NZ and spent decades under PAP rule.

The PAP took care of me like an over protective mother following me around to make sure I did not catch as much as a chill. I hated it to the core.

Escaping her clutches was so liberating I was in 7th heaven. In NZ scanning the tracing QR code is optional, there are no penalties for not taking the vaccine. I can sit with anyone regardless of their health status. In fact their health status is protected by the privacy act.

A friend of mine had a heart attack 3 years ago and had to quit work. When he recovered he applied for a new job and was not required to declare his past medical history. In Singapore he would be history. No company would risk hiring him.

In NZ if there is no law saying you can't do something it means you can go ahead and do it. In Singapore unless there is a law saying you can do it it's forbidden.

Give me NZ anytime. I'm a grown man I don't want nanny PAP following me around changing my nappies every 2 hours.

Things are a bit more risky here compared to sinkieland but the freedom gained far outweighs the downsides. Life is about weighing risk vs reward isn't it. I've even managed to launch a second career as an on line pimp without ending up in the slammer.

I agree with you on this one Sam. If there is any criticism og the MIW, it's that they are too caring. Case in point would be this pandemic: They have covered the Sinkees so well from COVID, so much that some ingrates have the luxury of being suspicious of the MIW's intentions.

I like this quote from the movie A Few Good Men:

 

[nayr69sg]

I've seen the world. I've lived in the USA, I have lived in London, OZ and NZ and spent decades under PAP rule.

The PAP took care of me like an over protective mother following me around to make sure I did not catch as much as a chill. I hated it to the core.

Escaping her clutches was so liberating I was in 7th heaven. In NZ scanning the tracing QR code is optional, there are no penalties for not taking the vaccine. I can sit with anyone regardless of their health status. In fact their health status is protected by the privacy act.

A friend of mine had a heart attack 3 years ago and had to quit work. When he recovered he applied for a new job and was not required to declare his past medical history. In Singapore he would be history. No company would risk hiring him.

In NZ if there is no law saying you can't do something it means you can go ahead and do it. In Singapore unless there is a law saying you can do it it's forbidden.

Give me NZ anytime. I'm a grown man I don't want nanny PAP following me around changing my nappies every 2 hours.

Things are a bit more risky here compared to sinkieland but the freedom gained far outweighs the downsides. Life is about weighing risk vs reward isn't it. I've even managed to launch a second career as an on line pimp without ending up in the slammer.

Sam....what happened to PAP is the best?

 

[Leongsam]

Sam....what happened to PAP is the best?

They are the best if you like being looked after. When I say "PAP is the best" it's on behalf of the typical Sinkie who likes his/her life to be scripted by the authorities. 61% to 69% agree with me.

Unfortunately I prefer to take my own chances so I don't quite fit in to the sinkie mould.

 

[dredd]

They are the best if you like being looked after. When I say "PAP is the best" it's on behalf of the typical Sinkie who likes his/her life to be scripted by the authorities. 61% to 69% agree with me.

Unfortunately I prefer to take my own chances so I don't quite fit in to the sinkie mould.

Damn straight. Can't argue with that.

 

[nayr69sg]

I've seen the world. I've lived in the USA, I have lived in London, OZ and NZ and spent decades under PAP rule.

The PAP took care of me like an over protective mother following me around to make sure I did not catch as much as a chill. I hated it to the core.

Escaping her clutches was so liberating I was in 7th heaven. In NZ scanning the tracing QR code is optional, there are no penalties for not taking the vaccine. I can sit with anyone regardless of their health status. In fact their health status is protected by the privacy act.

A friend of mine had a heart attack 3 years ago and had to quit work. When he recovered he applied for a new job and was not required to declare his past medical history. In Singapore he would be history. No company would risk hiring him.

In NZ if there is no law saying you can't do something it means you can go ahead and do it. In Singapore unless there is a law saying you can do it it's forbidden.

Give me NZ anytime. I'm a grown man I don't want nanny PAP following me around changing my nappies every 2 hours.

Things are a bit more risky here compared to sinkieland but the freedom gained far outweighs the downsides. Life is about weighing risk vs reward isn't it. I've even managed to launch a second career as an on line pimp without ending up in the slammer.

I agree with you Sam. Escaping clutches of PAP is liberating for me too.

But the clutches of the medical profession is also very stifling. Unfortunately i managed to escape PAP but willingly and knowingly went back to the medical one.

Hopefully one day I will win the lottery and can sack the medical profession from my life finally.

But on days like today when I am not working and free to explore the rugged mountains and lakes all is good!

 

[dredd]

I agree with you Sam. Escaping clutches of PAP is liberating for me too.

But the clutches of the medical profession is also very stifling. Unfortunately i managed to escape PAP but willingly and knowingly went back to the medical one.

Hopefully one day I will win the lottery and can sack the medical profession from my life finally.

But on days like today when I am not working and free to explore the rugged mountains and lakes all is good!

I truly envy you.

 

[dredd]

100000 vaccinated in one day.

Singapore Vaccination Data (as of 12 Aug 2021)​

Received at least First Dose

4,485,559

Completed Full Vaccination Regimen

4,071,978

Total Doses Administered

8,429,249