Our Epidemiology Policy Failures include:
Masking Contradictions
18 months ago, Singapore mocked citizens and politicians in HK for wearing surgical masks. Wearing 3ply surgical masks do not prevent you from getting covid but it reduces the viral loads that people around you are exposed to, when you are covided.
In the end, we realized that Singapore discouraged people from doing the wrong things when we had a shortage. The doctors who commented and supported these were just propaganda mouthpieces.
Developments of Antimicrobial Products
When we offered antimicrobial products of good quality and competitive prices. they either ignored us or told us that they rather develop their own (to create jobs and fundings for their research theme). Even for furnitures, my peers had a stockpile of hospital beds for the Expo quarantine center EX-STOCK in Singapore, in the end, our government went on to import on their own from overseas and I heard the prices are almost similar.
Singapore also went on to give a faceshield to all childcare kids which contained PVC and will emit toxicity after repeated us (Japan will ban such material due to MSDS issues).
Vaccination Contradictions
When Germany (home of BioNtech) announced that the vaccine should not be given to under-18s (unless they are very vulnerable), Singapore happily went on to coax kids to take up the jab. Teachers began calling parents and talked about it in schools. These teachers are only good in their subject specialization and not medicine. Now in July, we have a few kids hospitalized every week, for the side effects but I think only 1-2 cases were reported.
There are talks that Singapore is pushing so hard because Pfizer is building a vaccine plant in Singapore. Children don’t really die from COVID, then why expose them to such unnecessary risks when the adult population is highly vaccinated?
Cardios are having roaring business now because many adults who felt unwell after vaccination are dismissed as heart blockages, and not scarring or side-effect from vaccination. You seriously believe only four SAF soldiers reported unwell after 90% vaccination?
I am not against vaccination but public education on vaccination was poor. Like the mask-issue 18 months ago, we told our citizens to do what the government demand (take mRNA vaccines) without being transparent that non-mRNA options are also available. Our people are given options but not a choice. Discussions and inputs from medical professional were also silenced.
Clusters & Case Counts
In early 2020, we tried not to check people for covids unless they are very sick. It was reported in social medias. No check = No case-counts.
Now, at the other extreme, we are planning to play poker without looking at cards. If you noticed that the trend is pointing towards identifying clusters that are very generic which hinders ringfencing. Many double digit clusters are no longer-named. The information provided will be less transparent going forward.
Our target is to be a model student, first in the world this, first in the world that. Data presentation is spin in the way that favours the outcome that government pursue. For example, if you exclude the foreign born and imported cases that are hospitalized, you will realize that an extremely high proportion of remaining patients are vaccinated (1-2 times). All these go to show that our local biostaticians are either lousy, stupid, manipulated or ignored.
Open Borders Contradictions
While US CDC is stricter now, requiring wearing of masks indoor this week, yet we are opening our borders wider 10 weeks later. WTF??? The shortlisted countries are questionable too, eg. Malaysia got >15000 cases daily, Taiwan is simply under-reporting, etc
While we do not plan to give the same social benefits to people who took Sinovac, yet we are planning to provide quarantine-free entry for visitors with Sinovac inoculation (eg. China, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, etc). Moreover, we are still telling local businesses to let staff WFH whenever possible while we continue to import cases overseas. Remember the Wuhan tourist who infected a few shops? Such policies are contradicting. It makes me wonder whether the main AIM of our public health policies is to save SIA.
I welcome visitors or returning Singaporeans from overseas but the right way to do it is to quarantine them for 21 days to protect the general population.