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[COVID-19 Virus] The Sinkies are fucked Thread.
- Thread starter zhihau
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Fully-vaccinated leukemia patient dies from COVID-19
An Apollo Beach father living with leukemia died from COVID-19 last week despite being fully vaccinated, and his son said he hopes his dad’s situation motivates others with health conditions to rethink their risk.
Daniel Madry, 61, enjoyed spending time on a boat around Tampa Bay and hanging out with family playing music.
"He played the guitar a little bit. He would always send me random videos and it was always fun watching him get better and better," said Mike Madry of Tampa, one of Madry’s sons.
Mike said his dad got more health conscious after he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in May 2020.
"That really changed his thinking on diet, so he started cutting out all sugar and immediately started working out again as well and the transformation from 2018 to now was incredible," said Mike. "He really had a six-pack, and he was 61 years old. He was in incredible shape."
READ Pastor’s wife prays for a miracle as unvaccinated husband remains hospitalized with COVID-19
Mike Madry said his father was strict with masking and social distancing as well during the pandemic. So when the chance came for his father to ease up on safety measures, Mike said the COVID-19 vaccine took a weight off his dad’s shoulders.
"He was able to hang out with his friends. He was able to go to the grocery store and not wear a mask, see family members, and that’s really what ended up killing him was that he didn’t know the vaccine wouldn’t be effective for him," said Mike Madry.
Daniel Madry ended up in the hospital around August 14 and died on August 24, Mike said. It was shocking to their family. Mike said his dad didn’t know he would still be so vulnerable.
READ Widow urges vaccines at funeral for St. Pete officer who died from COVID-19 complications
"I really believe that if he had just one conversation, whether it be with a family member or his medical provider, that the vaccine may not be efficient for him, that he wouldn’t produce the antibodies, that there’s no question in my mind that he would have gone back to life the way before the vaccine came out," Mike continued.
Now, Mike said he wants to share a message of caution with others like his dad to spare other families the grief they are experiencing.
"My hope is that somebody watching this who is immunocompromised like my dad and just didn’t know will really reevaluate their decision to not wear a mask and socially distance because if my dad did that he would still be here today. There’s no question," he offered.
Mike said his dad got sick and went to the hospital around the same time the government-approved booster shots for immunocompromised people to help improve their immune response to the vaccine. He said he feels this also underscores how important it is for everyone to mask up, social distance and get vaccinated to protect themselves and others.
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Guam’s vaccination success story turns grim with Covid surge | Guam
www.theguardian.com
Outside Guam Memorial hospital, blue medical tents have sprung up to accomodate an overflow of Covid patients.
The sight is bewildering for Guam residents. The island ran an incredibly successful vaccination campaign, with almost 90% of eligible people having received two doses, and even began offering jabs to tourists in an “Air VnV” – vacation and vaccination – scheme.
Air VnV: sold-out flights start from Taiwan to Guam for ‘vacation and vaccination’ trips
But the tents have been installed to accommodate an overflow of Covid patients at the hospital as the territory grapples with a third wave of the virus, with daily deaths reaching the highest rates since March 2020.
“We just have no space – we have Covid patients waiting outside,” Pauline Perez, a nurse at the hospital, said in a government-released video that appeals to the remaining vaccine stragglers to get their shots.
“We use the blue med tents for Covid-19 patients who are stable. They need to be checked up by doctors but they don’t need treatment.”
Even before the onset of the pandemic, Guam’s healthcare system was fragile, but the surge in Covid cases triggered by the Delta variant has pushed it to the verge of collapsing.
Last week, the government hospital paused its services for all elective surgeries in order to realign its limited resources.
A vaccine is administered at the UOG Fieldhouse Vaccination centre, Guam. The island has a vaccination rate of nearly 90% of all eligible people. Photograph: Ken San Nicolas/The Guardian
“Staffing is the issue, which is why we suspended elective surgeries to free up more staff to support more patients,” said Mai Habib, a spokesperson for the hospital.
The Guam Regional Medical City, a private hospital, is in the same predicament.
“We are in a crisis. I will not sugarcoat that at all,” Dr Alexander Wielaard, its medical director, said. “We have been seeing an abnormal number of patients.”
Covid test results in the past two months have shown an alarming rate of breakthrough cases of people who had been vaccinated, including 554 of the 1,765 positive cases in August. Overall, breakthrough cases represent 31% of infections – the highest rate in the US, where most states have less than 1%. Breakthrough patients in Guam account for about 40% of hospital admissions.
The Covid surge is perplexing for a territory with a vaccination rate close to 90%, ranking sixth in the US. To date, a total of 118,756 people – or 87.13% – of Guam’s eligible population (residents 12 years and older) are fully vaccinated. That includes 10,318 residents aged 12 to 17.
The high rate of breakthrough cases has led to fear in the community.
‘It restores my soul’: pandemic offers unexpected boon to Guam indigenous language learners
“One of my officemates received her results of swab test and she turned out positive,” said Dori Leomo, a resident of Tamuning. “I cried after I heard the news. It’s my first time to feel anxiety. The following day, all of us at work went to get our swab tests. Thank God I tested negative.”
“It is clear that most people who stay longer in the hospital are unvaccinated. The length of stay for people who are vaccinated average around two days. They are minor admissions and use less amount of resources at the hospital than those who are unvaccinated,” said Dr Nathan Berg, who heads the governor’s physician advisory group.
As for the reasons why there has been such a big third wave on the island, experts point to a number of factors.
“Best guess on our higher rate may be related to close family culture and our high co-morbidities, which might lower the immune system,” said Dr Hoa Nguyen, the former chair of the governor’s physicians advisory group.
He attributes the surge to the lifting of restrictions on social gatherings such as weddings and funerals, and believes Guam may have prematurely returned to normal as the Delta variant reached the island.
“You have to look at the number of tests we are doing,” says Berg, who pointed to the fact Guam’s testing rate was higher than any other US state. “That is a good thing, and those numbers should not be taken out of context.”
He added that the people who died despite being fully vaccinated all had multiple co-morbidities.
Dr Peter Lombard, a member of the advisory group, attributed the high rate of breakthrough cases to waning efficacy of the vaccine six months after being administered.
Nathaniel Berg heads the governor’s physician advisory group. Photograph: Ken San Nicolas/The Guardian
“I trust that the data is real. Now is it a cause for alarm? That is the question,” he said. “One thing you need to do is look at other places that have good vaccination rates and high allocation of vaccines early on.
“Looking at distribution of vaccines and the high volume of vaccines given to Guam, I suspect that is since we have a larger vaccinated population early on and the vaccines’ efficacy waned sooner than we see in other states.”
Lombard also said a premature lifting of restrictions was partially responsible for the Covid surge.
Lombard and Berg agreed that Guam had benefitted from its high vaccination rate, with Lombard saying Guam’s case numbers would have been three times worse if not for the vaccination campaign.
Berg said that despite the recent Covid surge, “if you look at the population’s fatality rate, we are still doing well – that is an accomplishment in itself”.
www.theguardian.com
Outside Guam Memorial hospital, blue medical tents have sprung up to accomodate an overflow of Covid patients.
The sight is bewildering for Guam residents. The island ran an incredibly successful vaccination campaign, with almost 90% of eligible people having received two doses, and even began offering jabs to tourists in an “Air VnV” – vacation and vaccination – scheme.
But the tents have been installed to accommodate an overflow of Covid patients at the hospital as the territory grapples with a third wave of the virus, with daily deaths reaching the highest rates since March 2020.
“We just have no space – we have Covid patients waiting outside,” Pauline Perez, a nurse at the hospital, said in a government-released video that appeals to the remaining vaccine stragglers to get their shots.
“We use the blue med tents for Covid-19 patients who are stable. They need to be checked up by doctors but they don’t need treatment.”
Even before the onset of the pandemic, Guam’s healthcare system was fragile, but the surge in Covid cases triggered by the Delta variant has pushed it to the verge of collapsing.
Last week, the government hospital paused its services for all elective surgeries in order to realign its limited resources.
“Staffing is the issue, which is why we suspended elective surgeries to free up more staff to support more patients,” said Mai Habib, a spokesperson for the hospital.
The Guam Regional Medical City, a private hospital, is in the same predicament.
“We are in a crisis. I will not sugarcoat that at all,” Dr Alexander Wielaard, its medical director, said. “We have been seeing an abnormal number of patients.”
‘I cried after I heard the news’
Guam has been seeing close to 300 cases some days in the last few weeks, reversing months of steady decline. It has recorded 14,705 cases – nine percent of Guam’s population of 160,000 – and 195 deaths.Covid test results in the past two months have shown an alarming rate of breakthrough cases of people who had been vaccinated, including 554 of the 1,765 positive cases in August. Overall, breakthrough cases represent 31% of infections – the highest rate in the US, where most states have less than 1%. Breakthrough patients in Guam account for about 40% of hospital admissions.
The Covid surge is perplexing for a territory with a vaccination rate close to 90%, ranking sixth in the US. To date, a total of 118,756 people – or 87.13% – of Guam’s eligible population (residents 12 years and older) are fully vaccinated. That includes 10,318 residents aged 12 to 17.
The high rate of breakthrough cases has led to fear in the community.
“One of my officemates received her results of swab test and she turned out positive,” said Dori Leomo, a resident of Tamuning. “I cried after I heard the news. It’s my first time to feel anxiety. The following day, all of us at work went to get our swab tests. Thank God I tested negative.”
‘The numbers should not be taken out of context’
While there has been some vaccine hesitancy, experts caution that the vaccines are working to protect citizens, and estimate that case numbers would be three times higher than they are had the vaccination rate not been so high and that when vaccinated people are hospitalised, their stays are much shorter and illnesses much less severe.“It is clear that most people who stay longer in the hospital are unvaccinated. The length of stay for people who are vaccinated average around two days. They are minor admissions and use less amount of resources at the hospital than those who are unvaccinated,” said Dr Nathan Berg, who heads the governor’s physician advisory group.
As for the reasons why there has been such a big third wave on the island, experts point to a number of factors.
“Best guess on our higher rate may be related to close family culture and our high co-morbidities, which might lower the immune system,” said Dr Hoa Nguyen, the former chair of the governor’s physicians advisory group.
He attributes the surge to the lifting of restrictions on social gatherings such as weddings and funerals, and believes Guam may have prematurely returned to normal as the Delta variant reached the island.
“You have to look at the number of tests we are doing,” says Berg, who pointed to the fact Guam’s testing rate was higher than any other US state. “That is a good thing, and those numbers should not be taken out of context.”
He added that the people who died despite being fully vaccinated all had multiple co-morbidities.
Dr Peter Lombard, a member of the advisory group, attributed the high rate of breakthrough cases to waning efficacy of the vaccine six months after being administered.
“I trust that the data is real. Now is it a cause for alarm? That is the question,” he said. “One thing you need to do is look at other places that have good vaccination rates and high allocation of vaccines early on.
“Looking at distribution of vaccines and the high volume of vaccines given to Guam, I suspect that is since we have a larger vaccinated population early on and the vaccines’ efficacy waned sooner than we see in other states.”
Lombard also said a premature lifting of restrictions was partially responsible for the Covid surge.
Lombard and Berg agreed that Guam had benefitted from its high vaccination rate, with Lombard saying Guam’s case numbers would have been three times worse if not for the vaccination campaign.
Berg said that despite the recent Covid surge, “if you look at the population’s fatality rate, we are still doing well – that is an accomplishment in itself”.
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What he admitted is also true: "I am not a doctor." And I only take medical advice from a qualified doctor or professor of infectious diseases, like this guy
:In response to queries from Yahoo News Singapore, Paul Tambyah, president of the US-based International Society of Infectious Diseases, said the reason for allowing seniors to take their booster shots in a shorter interval is due to the current surge in cases in Singapore.
The epidemiologist said, "The numbers are a little concerning so perhaps they (MOH) want the immunity of the seniors boosted even before the data are available."
On the expert committee's recommendation for an interval of between six and nine months after two doses, Dr Tambyah said MOH need not strictly abide by it as there is a shortage of scientific data on the issue, as seen by the fierce debate in the US.
Nonetheless, MOH's stance that residents can get their booster shots slightly before six months from their second doses is "reasonable" given the lack of data, he added.
His comments come on the same day when the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) outlined an eight-point plan to exit the pandemic, which was drawn up by an SDP healthcare panel led by Dr Tambyah, who is the party's chairman.
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Only 130 Per Million Fully Vaccinated People Died From Covid-19 In Malaysia
codeblue.galencentre.org
Sabah's Covid-19 vaccination programme in September 2021. Picture from Twitter @JemilahMahmood.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough deaths amount to about 0.013 per cent, or 130 fatalities per one million fully vaccinated people, according to official figures.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the country recorded a total 1,751 Covid-19 deaths among fully vaccinated people (7.5 per cent) and 5,431 deaths among partially vaccinated people (23 per cent), out of 24,565 coronavirus fatalities reported as of September 22.
“When compared against the 18,986,347 population that had received two vaccine doses as of September 22, the deaths due to Covid-19 infection among those who received complete vaccination was 0.013 per cent, equivalent to 130 out of a million fully vaccinated population,” Khairy said in a written parliamentary reply yesterday.
He said this in response to Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen’s request for the minister to state the vaccination status of those who died due to Covid-19 based on whether they had received their first or second dose and the days after the last dose.
A recent real-world study led by the Institute for Clinical Research (ICR) on coronavirus vaccine efficacy found that complete inoculation with Covid-19 vaccines is 83 per cent effective against admission into intensive care and can prevent death by 88 per cent.
Findings by the Real-World Evaluation of Covid-19 Vaccines Under the Malaysia National Covid-19 Immunisation Program (RECoVaM) showed that the overall ICU rate among fully vaccinated individuals — 14 days after the second vaccine dose in a two-dose regime — stood at only 0.0066 per cent.
This is equivalent to 953 ICU admissions in 14,500,984 fully vaccinated individuals tracked from April 1 to September 12 who received two doses of either Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, or Sinovac.
The RECoVaM survey also found that breakthrough Covid-19 death rates were low among fully vaccinated individuals at 0.010 per cent or 1,445 deaths out of 14.5 million people.
codeblue.galencentre.org
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough deaths amount to about 0.013 per cent, or 130 fatalities per one million fully vaccinated people, according to official figures.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the country recorded a total 1,751 Covid-19 deaths among fully vaccinated people (7.5 per cent) and 5,431 deaths among partially vaccinated people (23 per cent), out of 24,565 coronavirus fatalities reported as of September 22.
“When compared against the 18,986,347 population that had received two vaccine doses as of September 22, the deaths due to Covid-19 infection among those who received complete vaccination was 0.013 per cent, equivalent to 130 out of a million fully vaccinated population,” Khairy said in a written parliamentary reply yesterday.
He said this in response to Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen’s request for the minister to state the vaccination status of those who died due to Covid-19 based on whether they had received their first or second dose and the days after the last dose.
A recent real-world study led by the Institute for Clinical Research (ICR) on coronavirus vaccine efficacy found that complete inoculation with Covid-19 vaccines is 83 per cent effective against admission into intensive care and can prevent death by 88 per cent.
Findings by the Real-World Evaluation of Covid-19 Vaccines Under the Malaysia National Covid-19 Immunisation Program (RECoVaM) showed that the overall ICU rate among fully vaccinated individuals — 14 days after the second vaccine dose in a two-dose regime — stood at only 0.0066 per cent.
This is equivalent to 953 ICU admissions in 14,500,984 fully vaccinated individuals tracked from April 1 to September 12 who received two doses of either Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca, or Sinovac.
The RECoVaM survey also found that breakthrough Covid-19 death rates were low among fully vaccinated individuals at 0.010 per cent or 1,445 deaths out of 14.5 million people.
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SINGAPORE: The United States on Monday (Sep 27) raised its COVID-19 travel advisory levels for Singapore and Hong Kong, urging those who are unvaccinated to avoid non-essential travel.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adjusted its advisory for Singapore by one rung to Level 3, which indicates a “high level of COVID-19”.
"Because of the current situation in Singapore, all travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants," said the US' health protection agency.
The CDC also recommended that individuals be fully vaccinated before travelling to Singapore, and that they should follow the country's recommendations or requirements, including wearing a mask and observing safe distancing measures.
The US Department of State issued a similar notice on Monday, urging people to “reconsider travel” to Singapore due to COVID-19.
We are now well known internationally for the wrong reasons.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adjusted its advisory for Singapore by one rung to Level 3, which indicates a “high level of COVID-19”.
"Because of the current situation in Singapore, all travellers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants," said the US' health protection agency.
The CDC also recommended that individuals be fully vaccinated before travelling to Singapore, and that they should follow the country's recommendations or requirements, including wearing a mask and observing safe distancing measures.
The US Department of State issued a similar notice on Monday, urging people to “reconsider travel” to Singapore due to COVID-19.
We are now well known internationally for the wrong reasons.
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You don't need a bunch of highly literate folks to know that how to handle the covid. We have done it before with SAR. We can take a leaf from that experience.
When you see the infection case spikes , you should have doubled down your control measures. If you hesitate , you lose more ground. Virus is no respecter of person. It loves to be in a crowd. The more, the merrier. The party gives life to the virus. No party, no life.
It is better to eat humble pie than to pretend to know you can handle the covid.
Unfortunately, the elderly falls sick and die by no fault of their own. I don't think they are any less careful than others in keeping themselves away from the Covid. Even they have underlying medical conditions, it does not justify that they should succumb to covid's fate against their will.
So, if you make a careless move, thinking that you can overcome this crafty and malignant enemy, you have only yourself to blame. This is not an academic problem that you can use simple logic and rational thinking to solve. You don't know what you don't know.
When you see the infection case spikes , you should have doubled down your control measures. If you hesitate , you lose more ground. Virus is no respecter of person. It loves to be in a crowd. The more, the merrier. The party gives life to the virus. No party, no life.
It is better to eat humble pie than to pretend to know you can handle the covid.
Unfortunately, the elderly falls sick and die by no fault of their own. I don't think they are any less careful than others in keeping themselves away from the Covid. Even they have underlying medical conditions, it does not justify that they should succumb to covid's fate against their will.
So, if you make a careless move, thinking that you can overcome this crafty and malignant enemy, you have only yourself to blame. This is not an academic problem that you can use simple logic and rational thinking to solve. You don't know what you don't know.
Last edited:
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When we reach about 8 pioneer sinkies upping lorry each day, we'll be ready to fully reopen our economy to the world. Our GDP and economic growth would hit 7% increase per year, and all sinkies will see their incomes rise again. Majulah PAP!
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www.straitstimes.com
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SINGAPORE - Madam Elisabeth Fong, 46, has called the Ministry of Health (MOH) more than 100 times to find out what she should do to protect her Primary 6 son after one of her tenants tested positive for Covid-19.
Speaking to The Straits Times on Wednesday (Sept 29), she described the myriad of complex and at times contradictory Covid-19 protocols that she had dealt with over the past two weeks.
"I felt very helpless - knowing that my son was going to take PSLE," she said, adding that trying to get help was hampered by having to explain the situation from scratch to every officer handling her case.
When her tenant was confirmed to have the virus on Sept 18, Madam Fong and her son - who is unvaccinated because his birthday is in November - were issued quarantine orders two days later.
After many frantic calls, her infected tenant, who shares a room with a 68-year-old co-tenant, was finally taken to a government quarantine facility on Sept 21.
Madam Fong's son is one of many Primary 6 children who have been slapped with quarantine orders amid the sharp spike in Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks, with a record 2,236 cases reported on Tuesday.
Since last Tuesday (Sept 21), there have been 275 patients aged from 12 to 18 diagnosed with Covid-19.
Many parents have voiced their confusion and frustration about Covid-19 protocols and its impact on their children taking the PSLE, with some calling for more clarity and coordination among the service providers.
Said Madam Fong: "It was so difficult to get through to the Ministry of Health and the different parties involved to find out what to do - everything from when our quarantine order started to when they were coming to take my tenant to a government quarantine facility because he did have not have an attached bathroom for his room."
Her son had sleepless nights from anxiety about whether he could take the national examination that he had studied hard for, she added.
On Sunday, they were relieved to learn that quarantined pupils and those on leave of absence were allowed to take the PSLE.
But the delays in finding answers and the worry about getting infected have taken a mental and emotional toll on both of them, said Madam Fong.
"There's a lot of room for interpretation in the many measures. Even when my quarantine order is up today, I don't know whether it is lifted at noon or at 11.59pm," she added.
Another parent affected by Covid-19 rules for children taking the PSLE is Madam Wong, 46, whose elder son is taking the PSLE but is on a leave of absence. This came after her younger son in Primary 3 was served a quarantine order last Saturday after his classmate tested positive for the virus.
She was one of three parents who told ST they had received a call saying a swabber would administer a PCR test to their child at home as well as a contradictory SMS saying their child had to visit the regional testing centre for the PCR test.
Madam Wong's confusion did not last long as the swabber showed up on the same day to administer the PCR test to her younger son.
But she then had to wait three days to get the result of her son's PCR test, which normally takes 24 hours.
Madam Wong said she tried to contact MOH on Monday and Tuesday, but all her calls went unanswered.
"Calling the different agencies is like a merry-go-round", said the manager in the finance sector who declined to give her full name.
"Over the three days, I think I refreshed the HealthHub app every 20 minutes... It was mental torture not knowing if my younger son is okay and how it would affect my elder son taking PSLE", said Madam Wong.
"There are so many terms issued by MOH, and it's very hard to keep up with the changing announcements."
Between Thursday and Oct 6, quarantined pupils and will be allowed to take the PSLE this year if they wish to, subject to stringent criteria.
The arrangements are different from last year's restrictions, which did not permit candidates in quarantine to sit exams.
'Like a merry-go-round': PSLE parents anxious, frustrated by Covid-19 rules and delays
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SINGAPORE - Madam Elisabeth Fong, 46, has called the Ministry of Health (MOH) more than 100 times to find out what she should do to protect her Primary 6 son after one of her tenants tested positive for Covid-19.
Speaking to The Straits Times on Wednesday (Sept 29), she described the myriad of complex and at times contradictory Covid-19 protocols that she had dealt with over the past two weeks.
"I felt very helpless - knowing that my son was going to take PSLE," she said, adding that trying to get help was hampered by having to explain the situation from scratch to every officer handling her case.
When her tenant was confirmed to have the virus on Sept 18, Madam Fong and her son - who is unvaccinated because his birthday is in November - were issued quarantine orders two days later.
After many frantic calls, her infected tenant, who shares a room with a 68-year-old co-tenant, was finally taken to a government quarantine facility on Sept 21.
Madam Fong's son is one of many Primary 6 children who have been slapped with quarantine orders amid the sharp spike in Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks, with a record 2,236 cases reported on Tuesday.
Since last Tuesday (Sept 21), there have been 275 patients aged from 12 to 18 diagnosed with Covid-19.
Many parents have voiced their confusion and frustration about Covid-19 protocols and its impact on their children taking the PSLE, with some calling for more clarity and coordination among the service providers.
Said Madam Fong: "It was so difficult to get through to the Ministry of Health and the different parties involved to find out what to do - everything from when our quarantine order started to when they were coming to take my tenant to a government quarantine facility because he did have not have an attached bathroom for his room."
Her son had sleepless nights from anxiety about whether he could take the national examination that he had studied hard for, she added.
On Sunday, they were relieved to learn that quarantined pupils and those on leave of absence were allowed to take the PSLE.
But the delays in finding answers and the worry about getting infected have taken a mental and emotional toll on both of them, said Madam Fong.
"There's a lot of room for interpretation in the many measures. Even when my quarantine order is up today, I don't know whether it is lifted at noon or at 11.59pm," she added.
Students in quarantine or on approved Covid-19 absence may still take national exams: MOE
PSLE candidates in quarantine need to inform school by 12pm, take daily ARTs at 6pm
Another parent affected by Covid-19 rules for children taking the PSLE is Madam Wong, 46, whose elder son is taking the PSLE but is on a leave of absence. This came after her younger son in Primary 3 was served a quarantine order last Saturday after his classmate tested positive for the virus.
She was one of three parents who told ST they had received a call saying a swabber would administer a PCR test to their child at home as well as a contradictory SMS saying their child had to visit the regional testing centre for the PCR test.
Madam Wong's confusion did not last long as the swabber showed up on the same day to administer the PCR test to her younger son.
But she then had to wait three days to get the result of her son's PCR test, which normally takes 24 hours.
Madam Wong said she tried to contact MOH on Monday and Tuesday, but all her calls went unanswered.
"Calling the different agencies is like a merry-go-round", said the manager in the finance sector who declined to give her full name.
"Over the three days, I think I refreshed the HealthHub app every 20 minutes... It was mental torture not knowing if my younger son is okay and how it would affect my elder son taking PSLE", said Madam Wong.
"There are so many terms issued by MOH, and it's very hard to keep up with the changing announcements."
Between Thursday and Oct 6, quarantined pupils and will be allowed to take the PSLE this year if they wish to, subject to stringent criteria.
The arrangements are different from last year's restrictions, which did not permit candidates in quarantine to sit exams.
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I’m sure they did their cost-benefit-analysis, we’re just economic digits after all.
Let’s look at the running costs for the following-
hospital bills for COVID patients,
the consumables in hospitals (PPE & masks),
PCR tests and reagents
ART test kits
TT Tokens & detectors w laminated QR codes
SHN costs w/ food
Financial aids over the last 20 months
Payment to CISCO for their lacklustre performance
Lost of revenue from-
less ERP
longer grace periods for car parks
rental rebates
less GST collected
less TOURISTS and flights
What else did we miss out?
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Our covid numbers may be up, but the number of sinkies who are dead or in icu still remains low. Most sinkies still go about their daily business. People who are supposedly working from home are surfing internet forums or shopping in the neighbourhood malls. That shows that people have great confidence in the PAP taskforce in handling covid.
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SARS was different . It was very lethal but burned itself out. The people mainly affected were hospital staff . With lockdown and patience we were able to sit it out and it was largely over in 9 months .
Covid 19 evolved into the delta strain and that rapidly became much more virulent . Also breakthrough infection was seen amongst the vaccinated because the original vaccine in whatever form targeted the alpha strain. Fortunately the mortality has been low for the vaccinated
Its very easy to say double down on control measures whenever case spikes . And then what ? When you inevitably open up again the cases will again surge . It will never end . Meanwhile economy dies .
The sensible thing is to vaccinate and then open up. Cases will surge and then plateau at an equilibrium and then eventually come down .
Perpetual lockdown is no longer an option 18 months into this pandemic . 98% of vaccinated people have mild or no symptoms . Mortality is at 1.8% with the unvaccinated and those with serious comorbidities 11 times more likely to die . You cannot ignore these statistics.
Cases will surge . There will be more deaths . Rite of passage to emerge from a pandemic .
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From a pure economic cost analysis, they can just open the economy and let people die. There is a name for people who do this for pure monetary gain. They are called mercenaries.
But because they are not just economists , they are elected leaders. Their first job is to ensure the welfare of the people who elected them is well taken of above all other considerations and that includes the sick and elderly.
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Unfortunately your MTF doesn’t want to admit it is now a mild flu and declare endemic . They are chasing their own tail swabbing everyone to death to increase daily numbers. For what I have no idea . Endemic means endemic . But they are behaving as though it is the beginning of the epidemic .
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Welfare of the people includes their economic welfare . I am sure those whose businesses have folded or lost their jobs will agree with me
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