Government has imposed Code Red measures without calling the situation Code Red

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from yahoo.com:

Singapore tightens COVID-19 curbs as overseas virus variants emerge

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore announced on Tuesday tighter curbs on social gatherings and stricter border measures after recording locally acquired cases of coronavirus variants, including a more contagious strain first detected in India.

After reporting very few local infections for months, numbers have increased in the Asian trade and financial hub over the last week, mainly linked to an outbreak at a hospital. On Tuesday, it confirmed five new locally acquired cases.

The stricter measures, which will be effective from May 8, include extending checks on where incoming travellers have been to three weeks earlier, instead of two weeks currently.

All visitors with a recent travel history in higher risk countries and who arrive from Saturday onwards will also need to be ini quarantine for 21 days, instead of 14.

Social gathering will also be limited to five people, while indoor gyms and fitness studios will be shut.

The new measures amount to the tightest local restrictions since Singapore started easing curbs in the middle of last year after a partial lockdown.

Among infections detected in the latest COVID-19 cluster in a hospital, nine out of 40 cases had already been fully vaccinated.

"Because of vaccination, these cases are either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms, and none has required oxygen so far," said health minister Gan Kim Yong.

"Therefore vaccination remains an important tool to help lower the risk of infection and severe disease," he said.

The minister also said authorities could not rule out a return to a partial lockdown again, if the situation worsened.

Though Singapore's daily cases are only a fraction of the number being reported among Singapore's Southeast Asian neighbours, a jump in infections would be a setback for the Asian business hub, which has successfully contained its earlier outbreaks.

 

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from straitstimes.com:

26 public places cleaned after visits by TTSH Covid-19 cluster patients

SINGAPORE - A total of 26 public places visited by Covid-19 patients linked to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) cluster have undergone deep cleaning and disinfection.

These included locations such as Kopitiam foodcourt at TTSH, Masjid Hajjah Fatimah in the Kampong Glam area, City Harvest Church in Jurong West and NTUC Fairprice in Toa Payoh Hub.

The National Environment Agency deployed officers to monitor the cleaning and disinfection works and ensure they were done according to its guidelines, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) said in a statement on Tuesday (May 4).

The ministry also said four food and beverage (F&B) outlets had been ordered to close following stepped-up enforcement checks by the authorities over the weekend.

These are Club Peaches in Concorde Shopping Mall, Alive @ SG Pub in Lucky Plaza, Tangmen Restaurant at Orchard Plaza and Club Empire at 150 Orchard Road.

All the establishments except Club Empire are repeat offenders. This is the second time that the three repeat offenders have had to close.

Club Peaches has been ordered to shut for 30 days. It was previously ordered to close for 20 days in February.

All four establishments were caught breaching various safe management measures (SMM).

Alive @ SG Pub was found allowing customers to play dice games on April 30. Current Covid-19 rules bar F&B establishments from providing games.

Tangmen Restaurant had served alcohol to customers after 10.30pm, while Club Peaches allowed gatherings of more than eight customers.

Club Empire was fined for allowing intermingling between groups of customers.

In addition, 11 individuals were fined over the weekend for breaching measures at F&B outlets. Nine of them committed their offences at Club Peaches, and were fined $300 each.

The remaining two were fined $300 each for not wearing a mask at Tekka Centre despite multiple warnings from enforcement officers.

The ministry's statement on Tuesday said another 10 F&B outlets were fined for breaching safe management measures, while 63 people were fined for breaching such measures at parks and beaches.

Of the 10 outlets, eight were fined $1,000 for breaching SMMs while two were fined $2,000 for the repeated offence of seating groups of customers less than one metre apart.

"The fight against Covid-19 will be a long-drawn and difficult one," said the ministry.

It added that the resurgent waves of infection in many countries were sobering reminders of the potentially devastating threat posed by the pandemic.

"We seek everyone's cooperation to remain socially responsible and unwavering in our fight against Covid-19," it said.

 

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from msn.com:

Singapore to Curb Entry of Foreign Workers to Blunt Covid Spread

(Bloomberg) -- Singapore will reduce approvals for foreign workers planning to enter the country in the coming weeks, and delay the arrivals of many of those already approved to enter, the government said Friday.

The move, aimed at reducing imported cases of Covid-19, came hours before Singapore is set to launch a three-week crackdown that will limit the size of group gatherings to five. The government earlier this week had already extended travel quarantine to 21 days from the current 14, except for travelers from lower-risk places.

Under the new measures, the city-state will stop accepting new entry applications for work pass holders from higher-risk countries with immediate effect, except for those “needed for key strategic projects and infrastructural works.” Singapore defines “high-risk” countries to mean all countries and regions except Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

Those already approved will generally not be allowed to enter either from May 11, and will have to reapply later. There are narrow exceptions for some construction, marine shipyard and process work pass holders and some foreign domestic workers who have already received approval.

“We will inform employers on when to re-apply for entry when the situation has stabilised and will prioritise them for entry approval then,” the ministry said in a statement, adding it would reach out to affected employers and work pass holders to inform them of the changes.

“We seek the understanding and cooperation of work pass holders and their employers for these changes,” the ministry said. “They are necessary to enable workers to enter in a safe and calibrated manner, and mitigate the risk of COVID-19 importation.”

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Stores in Novena malls say crowds have thinned since TTSH cluster emerged, shoppers there unfazed

SINGAPORE - Lunchtime crowds still thronged two popular malls in Novena on Monday (May 3) despite the Covid-19 cluster linked to the nearby Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), but businesses said footfall has been impacted.

Diners and shoppers at Velocity and Square 2 that The Straits Times spoke to said they were not overly concerned about the TTSH cluster as they had faith that the authorities were handling the situation.

The malls are linked by underground walkways to the hospital, where a nurse working in a general ward had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 27. TTSH has locked down four wards and barred all visitors to its wards.

Eight new cases on Monday brought the cluster to 35 - the largest active cluster now.

Visiting Velocity and Square 2 at 1pm on Monday, ST found that the foodcourts had over 60 people each.

Real estate agent Clement Khoo, 45, who was dining at the foodcourt in Velocity with his 10-year-old son, said he was initially concerned that he would have to reschedule his son's appointment at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital.

"But since TTSH has been locked down and Mount Elizabeth said it can still operate normally, I didn't see a need to reschedule," he said.

"I did try to avoid the building as we made our way here today," he added.

Ms Rachel Tang, 30, who was shopping at Velocity with her husband before a medical appointment at Mount Alvernia Hospital in Thomson Road, said: "While I am a little worried about the cluster, the situation seems fairly under control.

"We just have to take the necessary precautions and trust that things will get better," added the healthcare worker, who is pregnant.

Her husband, Mr Dennis Tng, 32, also a healthcare worker, said he had confidence that TTSH was doing all it could to ensure the spread was contained. "They're the best people to handle the situation," he said.

Staff at 12 shops and food outlets in both malls told ST that weekday footfall has fallen by 10 to 50 per cent since news of the TTSH cluster broke and people returned to working from home.

Public agencies such as the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore are among the organisations with offices in the Novena area that have asked their staff to work from home where possible.

At Itacho Sushi at Square 2, assistant manager Ailan Chen said the restaurant normally had 300 to 400 customers on weekdays, but that number has dropped by 50 per cent.

Cake shop Sinpopo and ramen stall Kajiken both saw a 50 per cent decrease in footfall, while a fast food outlet said it received 20 to 30 per cent fewer customers since the TTSH cluster.

However, retailers and food outlets said footfall on Monday could have been affected as some workers are given a day off in lieu of Labour Day, which fell on Saturday.

Meanwhile, other hospitals in the area have stepped up safety measures.

When ST visited Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, where a stream of people was seen entering the building, a sign at the entrance requested that visitors declare if they had been warded at or visited inpatient wards at TTSH from April 18.

It was quiet at Ren Ci Community Hospital, which has barred visitors to its wards. Only a few people were seen in its lobby.

In other parts of the island, hospitals, including National University Hospital and Alexandra Hospital, have also banned entry to persons who had been warded at or visited TTSH inpatient wards from April 18.

 

[jw5]

from yahoo.com:

Singapore-Hong Kong travel bubble has families on edge

(Bloomberg) — As Singapore’s government assesses any potential change to a planned travel bubble with Hong Kong following a spike in local virus cases, families on both sides of the South China Sea are waiting and watching with bated breath — again.

The quarantine-free arrangement was originally meant to start last November but was postponed after an outbreak in Hong Kong. Five months later, it was resurrected with the first flights scheduled for May 26. After many months, relatives and friends are looking forward to long-awaited reunions, but such hopes could once more be dashed.

Selena Wu is one of those people on tenterhooks. The 40-year-old, from Singapore originally, lives in Hong Kong and has seats on a June 1 bubble flight back to the city-state with her husband and three children. She plans to stay for six weeks, spending time with family.

“It will be the first visit since February last year,” said Wu, who along with her husband is fully vaccinated. Her parents have made plans to take the kids to Singapore’s famous night safari, but now Wu worries if they’ll be able to fly at all. “It’s so sad. Every night, we’re praying that the travel bubble will still persist.”

The corridor linking two of Asia’s most important cities reflects the fragility of reopening efforts given the spread of new variants and vaccination in the region that lags the U.S and Europe. Both Singapore and Hong Kong have suppressed local transmission to very low levels and face pressure to maintain that success amid attempts to revive their travel-reliant economies.

Visitors from Hong Kong, if they do come, will experience a Singapore that’s recently tightened restrictions once again. A growing cluster linked to a large public hospital has triggered a three-week crackdown, including limiting social gatherings to no more than five people and restraining border movements to stem the spread of the new variant first identified in India.

While barbecue pits, gyms and campsites are closed, restaurants are open and in most cases, busy. Patrons must however finish drinking by around 10pm. Operating capacity for attractions like museums and public libraries has been scaled back to 50%, tour groups capped at 20 people, and the use of Singapore’s TraceTogether app, which must be scanned to enter everything from supermarkets, shops, malls and eateries, will be mandatory from May 17.

Singapore is working hard to contain the latest outbreak lest it threaten the World Economic Forum, due to take place in the nation in August, and the Shangri-La Dialogue, which should start June 4. Government agencies have stepped up enforcement, penalising businesses and individuals for breaching safety measures, and an open house for the public to visit the president’s official residence next week has been canceled.

Airlines Drop
A spokeswoman for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which is organising the Shangri-La event, said the body is “monitoring developments in Singapore, as well as the global Covid-19 situation. We continue to work in close partnership with the government of Singapore to ensure the highest levels of safety for participants.”

According to the terms of the agreement, the travel bubble will be closed for two weeks if the seven-day moving average of the daily number of unlinked local cases is more than five in either city. Currently, the number in Singapore is 1.43, well below that threshold.

Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau said late Tuesday the government is watching the outbreak in Singapore, though he said the number of cases is “by and large” within the agreed range.

Shares in Singapore Airlines Ltd. closed down 3% Wednesday, their biggest loss since April 19, while Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. fell 1.8%.

Wu, whose parents were supposed to come to Hong Kong in November before the bubble was called off initially, is hoping this will be second time lucky.

“If everyone cooperates and they’re aggressive with their quarantining and contract tracing, I think it’s possible to contain an outbreak within a few weeks because we’ve seen that in Hong Kong,” she said. “Hopefully it will be contained.”

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Serious reactions to Covid-19 vaccinations rare, affecting four in 100,000 in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Over the four months or so since mass Covid-19 vaccination started here, 20 cases of a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis have been reported.

They are among the 95 cases of serious adverse events associated with the Covid-19 vaccine, according to the first safety update of the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines used here, from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

These serious effects are rare, with the cases comprising just 0.004 per cent of the more than 2.2 million doses administered from Dec 30 to April 18, said the HSA.

In all, about 0.13 per cent of the doses administered resulted in suspected adverse reactions, with the data showing that younger people are more likely to suffer side effects.

About 70 per cent of these cases involved people who were younger than 60 years old, although they made up about half of the people who have taken the vaccines.

More than four in 1,000 persons between 20 and 39 reported adverse conditions such as rashes, hives, dizziness and fever, compared with the 1.2 in 1,000 persons aged between 60 and 69 years old who reported the same reactions, said HSA.

According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), as at April 18, more than 1.36 million people here have received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine and nearly 850,000 people have completed the vaccination regimen by taking both doses.

The HSA defines an adverse effect as serious when it results in hospitalisation, extended stay in hospital, a significant reduction in functional capacity, or a life-threatening event like anaphylaxis, or death.

No one here has died from taking the Covid-19 vaccine. There have also been no reports of unusual blood clots associated with low platelets that have been reported with other types of Covid-19 vaccines overseas, said the HSA.

The HSA data covers mostly those who had taken the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine because this was available since Dec 30. The Moderna vaccine arrived here only in March.

Anaphylaxis remains the greatest concern because it is potentially life threatening. The reaction typically happens very quickly. Within minutes of getting the vaccine, a person who has it may experience swelling of the face, eyes and lips. Their airway can be constricted and there may be nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Some people can take longer to experience this, which is why the authorities want everyone who is taking the vaccine to be observed for 30 minutes afterwards. Every vaccination centre will also have a team of medical professionals on duty.

The onset of symptoms for 6 in 10 of these anaphylaxis cases came within the 30-minute observation period after the vaccine was given.

HSA said that 80 per cent of those who suffered from anaphylaxis were women, 55 per cent of whom had a history of allergies to drugs or food.

All the people who developed anaphylaxis after taking the vaccine have recovered after medical treatment, said the HSA. The incidence rate of this reaction here is about 1.4 per 100,000 doses administered, which is similar to the incidence rates reported overseas of around 0.5 to two per 100,000 doses administered.

Anaphylaxis is a reaction that has been reported with the use of other vaccines, as is Bell's palsy, a condition where there is a temporary paralysis of a part of the facial muscle, which the HSA is also monitoring closely.

There have been 25 cases here of Bell's palsy, which is caused by the inflammation of the facial nerve, and most are not serious. Most patients recover from it completely, even without treatment, the HSA said.

The 25 cases work out to a rate of 3.45 per 100,000 people per month, which is within the expected incidences of 1.1 to 4.4 per 100,000 people per month prior to the introduction of vaccination, said the HSA.

In the group of 95 with suspected adverse events, another 20 had severe allergic reactions that included severe rashes, possible shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat. The rest experienced breathing difficulty, fast heart rate, an increase or decrease in blood pressure, chest discomfort, fainting, limb numbness or pain that lasted for a few days, changes in vision and increase in liver enzymes, said the HSA update. Most of the 95 cases were reported to have recovered or are recovering.

They are among a bigger group of 2,796 cases of adverse effects associated with the vaccine, according to the HSA data.

So far, the most commonly reported suspected side effects of getting a Covid-19 vaccine are rashes, hives, dizziness, swelling of eyelids, face or lips, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches and pain, headache, and itchy skin, said the HSA.

It said heart attacks and strokes can occur naturally in people, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not.

The HSA, which will continue to monitor the safety of the vaccines, will be releasing vaccine safety updates on a monthly basis from now on.

This report comes amid a surge in the number of community infections here, with locally transmitted cases rising to 62 in the past week, from 13 in the week before. Most of them are linked to the Tan Tock Seng Hospital cluster. Most people in the cluster who had been fully vaccinated showed mild or no symptoms.

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Back to phase 2: Cap of 5 people for social gatherings from May 8 amid rising Covid-19 cases

SINGAPORE - Rules on social gatherings will be tightened starting this Saturday (May 8), as Singapore takes stricter measures to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the wider community.

First, people will be allowed to gather only in groups of five, down from eight currently. These restrictions also apply to households, which will be able to receive only five distinct visitors a day, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Tuesday.

In addition, more people will be required to work from home. Under the new rules, no more than 50 per cent of employees who are able to work from home should be in the office at any one time, down from 75 per cent at present.

Employers should also continue to stagger start times of employees who need to return to the workplace, and implement flexible working hours. Social gatherings at the office should be avoided as well.

These measures will be in place until May 30.

Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force tackling the pandemic, noted that the new restrictions will essentially see Singapore move back to phase two of its reopening. But this is not a circuit breaker, he stressed.

"We certainly hope not to have to invoke another circuit breaker," he said. "But we have proposed quite a stringent and tight set of measures, so that we can respond robustly and pre-emptively to the latest outbreak of clusters and do our best to snuff them out early, and reduce the likelihood of having to impose more drastic measures down the road."

Although the stricter measures kick in only this weekend, the minister urged Singaporeans to start doing their part with immediate effect.

This includes scaling back social interactions and getting vaccinated if medically eligible, he said.

Mr Wong noted that the authorities have tried their best to ring-fence the cases caused by Covid-19 variant strains through contact tracing, but "we must assume that there are still hidden cases out there in the community".

Safe management measures therefore have to be tightened across the board to address the risk posed by the variant strains, which are more infectious and likelier to cause large clusters of coronavirus cases, he added.

There is a good chance of getting the situation under control, if people follow the tightened measures that are in place till May 30, Mr Wong said.

To minimise the risk of large clusters forming, the authorities will also reduce the maximum number of people allowed at events, such as live performances at designated venues and pilot business events, from 750 to 250.

Capacity limits at museums and public libraries will be reduced as well, from 65 per cent to 50 per cent.

In addition, indoor gyms and fitness studios will be closed till May 30 as these are considered "higher-risk settings", said MOH. (Note: An updated advisory was issued by Sport Singapore on May 7 allowing low-intensity physical activities)

No spectators will be allowed at sports events as well, the ministry added.

The deadline for mandatory check-ins using either the TraceTogether app or token at venues will also be brought forward to May 17 from June 1 to bolster contact tracing efforts.

The new measure will apply to all places where digital check-ins are required, including shopping malls, workplaces, places of worship, schools, educational institutions and dine-in eateries.

This means that from May 17, people will no longer be allowed to digitally check in by scanning a venue's SafeEntry QR code with their phone camera or the Singpass app. Scanning of barcodes on personal identification cards to check in to venues will still be allowed until May 31.

Asked why the tightened measures will take effect only from May 8, Mr Wong said businesses will need some time to make the necessary adjustments.

But there is no need to wait till then, he said, urging people to scale back their activities immediately.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who co-chairs the task force, cautioned against having a "big powwow" ahead of the stiffer rules kicking in.

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

Singapore extends stay-home notice to 21 days for travellers from higher-risk places

SINGAPORE - The stay-home notice (SHN) period for travellers from higher-risk countries or regions will be lengthened to 21 days, up from 14 days, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (May 4).

The extended SHN will apply to travellers arriving from all countries and regions, except Australia, Brunei, mainland China, New Zealand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, from Friday at 11.59pm. They will be required to serve their 21-day SHN at dedicated facilities.

In addition, the period of recent travel history being assessed for border measures will also be increased to 21 days from 14. This excludes bilaterally negotiated travel lanes, such as the reciprocal green lane or air travel bubble arrangements.

On these measures, Mr Wong said: "We are adopting this more stringent border measure up till the end of May. At that time, we will do a further review, depending on the global and local situation, and we will continue to update and fine-tune our border measures."

Mr Wong, who is also co-chair of the multi-ministry task force handling Covid-19, was speaking at a press conference where a host of measures were announced to curb infections in Singapore following the recent increase in unlinked community cases in the country and new waves in several countries.

Other border measures will also be tightened from Friday, 11.59pm.

A Ministry of Health (MOH) statement on Tuesday said: "In view of the worsening situation globally, we will further tighten our border measures for travellers with recent travel history to higher-risk countries/regions, and reduce entry approvals for non-Singapore citizens/permanent residents with immediate effect."

Travellers from Fiji and Vietnam in the past 21 days before arrival in Singapore will be subjected to a 21-day SHN at dedicated facilities, with the option to serve the last seven days at their places of residence, said MOH.

They were previously allowed to opt out of serving the 14-day SHN at dedicated facilities and could serve it at their place of residence instead, subject to certain criteria.

Those coming from Britain, South Africa, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka from Friday, 11.59pm, will be required to serve the full 21-day SHN at dedicated facilities.

Travellers serving 21 days of SHN will undergo a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test on arrival, on Day 14 of their SHN, and another test before the end of the 21 days, said MOH.

Mr Wong said that Singapore's borders have been kept tight so far, with an SHN regime of 14 days for travellers coming to Singapore.

"When we saw new variants from specific countries, for example, the United Kingdom, South Africa and India, we lengthened the SHN for these countries," he said.

"The purpose of lengthening the SHN at that time was to minimise the risk of having more variant cases leaking into our community.

"Since then, the global situation has worsened, and we're seeing new variants not just from these specific countries because the variants have likely to have spread all over the world," he said.

The tighter controls announced on Tuesday come after other measures were implemented earlier this month.

Since May 1 at 11.59pm, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka within the last 14 days have not been allowed entry into Singapore, including for transit.

Since May 2 at 11.59pm, those with recent travel history to Thailand have been required to serve their 14-day SHN at dedicated facilities. The Government revoked prior permission given to such travellers to opt out of serving the SHN in dedicated facilities.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Dr Noor Hisham: Reciprocal Green Lane with Singapore suspended as new Covid-19 variants reported in republic

KUALA LUMPUR, May 10 — The Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) for businesses travellers between Malaysia and Singapore will be suspended from Thursday, May 13, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah announced today.

The Health director-general said the decision was made after Singapore reported Covid-19 transmissions involving Variants of Concern (VOC).

“It is based on reports that were published by the Singaporean Health Ministry, where cases involving the B.1.351 South African variant, the B.1.1.7 United Kingdom variant, the B.1.128 Brazilian variant, and the Variant of Interest from India which is the B.1.617.1 variant were reported,” he wrote in a statement today.

Dr Noor Hisham said the National Security Council then decided to suspend the Malaysian side of the RGL, and impose a mandatory 14-day quarantine to travellers from the island nation entering the country under the Period Communicating Arrangement (PCA), both beginning May 13.

“Travellers from Singapore who wish to enter the country for business purposes (after May 13) are required to use the One Stop Centre (OSC) which has been provided by MIDA (Malaysian Investment Development Authority),” he added.

Last month, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that travellers arriving here from countries which report transmissions of Covid-19 VOCs would be subjected to a mandatory 14-day quarantine as opposed to the 10-day period previously announced.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Changi Airport to test 9,000 workers, shortens rostered routine test cycle


Approximately 9,000 workers in the Changi Airport will undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing starting May 9, following eight positive cases in the past two weeks.

In a statement, the Changi Airport Group said that despite the vaccination of 92% of its frontline aviation workers, risk of COVID-19 infection still remained.

The workers that will undergo testing are from Changi Airport's Terminals 1 and 3, as Terminal 2 is still not operating.

Vaccinated workers who have been placed on a 28-day rostered routine testing cycle will now be placed on a 14-day cycle.

Terminal 3 Basement 2 will be closed to the public starting May 10 pending epidemiological investigations by the Ministry of Health, as several of the positive COVID-19 cases visited outlets there.

Staff working in food and beverage and retail outlets also need to be tested before their outlets can be reopened to serve customers.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Coronavirus: BioNTech chooses Singapore as its Asia Pacific vaccine hub


German drug maker BioNTech, whose coronavirus vaccine with Pfizer was the first to be approved in the United States and Europe for use last year, on Monday announced a new manufacturing facility in Singapore that would produce "several hundreds of millions" of mRNA-based vaccine doses a year.

People view the sunrise at Merlion Park in Singapore. Photo: Xinhua

The move will boost BioNTech's production capacities for vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases and cancer, and ensure it has rapid-response production capability for potential pandemic threats in Southeast Asia. The news comes amid efforts by Singapore to build its biomedical and pharmaceutical sectors by luring companies with incentives.


The US-listed biotech firm is currently supplying its two-shot mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccine to more than 90 countries and is expecting to increase its production to up to three billion doses by the end of the year, up from a previously expected 2.5 billion doses.

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Both Singapore and Hong Kong use its Covid-19 vaccine. The one in Singapore is jointly developed with Pfizer while Hong Kong's is distributed by China's Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical.

BioNTech said it would set up its Singapore office and start construction of its manufacturing facility this year. The facility could be operational as early as 2023 and would create up to 80 jobs. According to its website, this will be its first manufacturing facility outside Germany and its first office outside Europe and America.

© Provided by South China Morning Post Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong receives his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Singapore General Hospital. Photo: EPA

Ryan Richardson, BioNTech's chief strategy officer, told This Week in Asia that it picked Singapore because the city state was a global innovation hub, and also because it had the "talents we want to work with". Singapore had the "perfect business climate" for BioNTech - pronounced as bye-on-tech or bee-on-tech according to its chief executive - to establish its headquarters for the Asia Pacific region, he said.

Chief executive Ugur Sahin said the value of the investment in Singapore was "in the range of hundreds of millions of US dollars", local media reported.

"We're looking at this as a long-term investment in biotech in Singapore... It extends beyond Covid-19," he said.

Having such a plant in Singapore would mean that a "certain percentage" of vaccines produced would go to Singapore, he was quoted as saying.

BioNTech and Pfizer have recently established licensing and manufacturing partnerships with other pharmaceutical firms to boost vaccine production capabilities and ensure a wider supply of jabs. This includes America's Merck, Novartis from Switzerland and Sanofi in France.

The German firm on Sunday announced that it would form a US$200 million joint venture with China's Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical to build a plant to supply up to 1 billion doses a year.

Jerome Kim, director general of the International Vaccine Institute in Seoul, said having various companies work together to manufacture the Covid-19 jab was unusual, and underscored "the ability of companies to respond in this crisis by expanding capacity using companies that have successfully made high quality vaccines".

Having a base in Southeast Asia positioned BioNTech in a "dynamic region" with a population of 655 million and access to infrastructure allowing it to handle the administration of mRNA vaccines, he added.

© Provided by South China Morning Post The pharmaceutical cool room at Singapore's Changi Airport, which stores the BioNTech vaccine at minus 70 degrees Celsius when it is imported. Photo: Bloomberg

The mRNA - or messenger ribonucleic acid - Covid-19 vaccines that the Singapore facility will produce are based on a technology that teaches the body to build spike proteins similar to those found on the coronavirus, training it how to launch an immune response. If the body is later exposed to the real virus, it recognises the spike protein and is able to fight it off.

Moderna uses the same technology for its vaccine.

Singapore's Economic Development Board (EDB), a statutory board governed by the trade ministry, declined to comment on the types of incentives offered to BioNTech, citing confidentiality.

But the board's senior vice-president for healthcare Goh Wan Yee said pharmaceutical giants operating in Singapore such as Pfizer, Sanofi and GSK had leveraged the city's skilled talent, commitment to innovation and global connectivity.

We're looking at this as a long-term investment in biotech in Singapore
Biontech chief executive Ugur Sahin
She said there was also innovation in the city state due to a growing base of startups in the health tech space and healthcare companies looking to establish digital capabilities and partnerships.

In April, French multinational pharmaceutical company Sanofi also announced a partnership with the EDB. Sanofi was investing Euro400 million over five years to create a vaccine production facility in Singapore that would create 200 jobs. This would let Sanofi supply the Asian region and would complement its existing manufacturing capacities in Europe and North America. Construction of the facility is due to start in the third quarter of this year.

The Singapore government has had a long standing focus on establishing the biologics and pharmaceutical manufacturing sector as key industries.

Singapore is not the only country looking at mRNA vaccine production. The Australian government has invested over A$350 million (US$274 million) to support vaccine research and development, and already manufactures AstraZeneca shots through a partnership with multinational biopharmaceutical company CSL. However, rather than mRNA, the AstraZeneca vaccine is considered a viral vector-based vaccine.

Video player from: YouTube (Privacy Policy, Terms)


Selena Ling, head of treasury research and strategy at OCBC Bank, said the expansion was in line with Singapore's proactive approach to building its biomedical cluster. It also showed how the city state had been courting foreign investment by staying open for trade to overcome potential supply chain disruptions.

She noted the EDB had reported a record-high in foreign direct investment last year. Singapore attracted about S$17.2 billion (US$13 billion) in fixed asset investments in 2020, up from S$15.2 billion in 2019.

Singapore to test thousands as unlinked infections rise
Ling said part of the attraction of Singapore was that international conglomerates could trust there would be no vaccine nationalism or protectionism. This was because Singapore was "very transparent in the way it operates and a stickler for international rules", she said.

As of April 18, the city state had administered 2.2 million shots and just under 850,000 people (14.9 per cent of the population) had been fully vaccinated. The government had said earlier that by the third quarter of the year it would have taken possession of enough doses to cover the entire population.

In comparison, both India and the European Union - two key vaccine manufacturing hubs - have introduced limits on vaccine exports during new waves of infections.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Coronavirus: Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble to launch as scheduled this month despite recent cases, commerce minister says


Hong Kong will launch its quarantine-free travel bubble with Singapore as scheduled on May 26 despite sporadic local coronavirus infections, the city's commerce minister has said.

A quarantine-free travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore is still on track to begin on May 26, the commerce minister says. Photo: AFP

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah offered the reassurance as Hong Kong confirmed two new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday.

One involved a domestic helper arriving from the Philippines and the other a 42-year-old man linked to a local cluster of variant infections connected to a 30-year-old engineer from Dubai. New research however suggests the engineer contracted the mutated virus from a person staying in an adjacent hotel room during quarantine.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Remaining optimistic for the travel bubble launch, Yau said the city's seven-day moving average of unlinked local cases was lower than one, while Singapore's was between 1.6 and 1.8.

"The numbers are well below the established threshold to trigger a pause in the bubble. We will closely monitor if the situation gets worse," Yau told reporters following a Legislative Council session.

© Provided by South China Morning Post Commerce minister Edward Yau says infection rates are well below the threshold that would threaten plans for the Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble. Photo: Warton Li

According to the terms agreed by both sides, the scheme will be suspended for two weeks if the seven-day moving average of unlinked infections in either city exceeds five cases.

Under the arrangement, one daily flight carrying 200 passengers will be allowed to travel in each direction. The frequency will be increased to two flights per day from each side beginning on June 10 if the coronavirus situation remains stable, although no transit passengers will be allowed.

Anyone currently living in Singapore or Hong Kong, regardless of nationality, will be eligible.

As an added safety precaution, the Hong Kong government is only allowing fully vaccinated residents to make the trip, a rule Singapore has not imposed on its own travellers.

Those aged under 16 years, medically advised against inoculation or using travel documents other than Hong Kong passports for departure are exempted from the vaccination rule.

The latest confirmed cases in Hong Kong have shed new light on how the worrying variant cluster spread. Health authorities said the 42-year-old man was the older brother of the Dubai engineer's 31-year-old female friend, who was the second person to be confirmed as carrying the variant infection in the community.

The 42-year-old and his female flatmate went to a family gathering on April 13 in Chai Wan, and then joined another social event in Sham Shui Po five days later with three domestic helpers, who were all later confirmed as infected.

The flatmate tested positive for immunoglobulin G, a type of antibody, indicating she had recently been infected with the coronavirus. However, she has not been classified as a confirmed case.

According to Polytechnic University researchers, genomic sequencing of the engineer's viral sample was almost identical to that of a 28-year-old man who stayed next door during their quarantine at the Ramada Hong Kong Grand hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The team said the younger man was very likely to have passed the variant to the engineer.

With less than two weeks to go before the launch of the travel bubble, Singapore is experiencing a sharp rise in domestic cases, with 11 active clusters after months of zero infections. The recent clusters include one at the city state's airport and another at one of its biggest hospitals.

Authorities say several worrying variants in both local and imported infections have also been detected, such as the B.1.617 strain that was first identified in India and is thought to be more transmissible.

The country recorded 88 locally transmitted cases this month, compared to 55 logged in April and just nine in March.

This comes despite a growing number of its residents getting coronavirus jabs. Singaporean health minister Gan Kim Yong on Tuesday said slightly more than one-fifth of the city state's 5.7 million population - or 1.2 million people - had been fully vaccinated, while some 1.8 million individuals had received at least one dose.

Singapore, whose vaccination programme is currently open only to those aged above 45, now has one of the highest vaccination rates in Asia, outpacing Hong Kong, where just 14.7 per cent of residents had received at least one jab as of Saturday.

Asked during a press conference last week whether the rise in domestic cases in Singapore would affect the travel bubble, education minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the virus task force, said the suspension of the travel arrangement would still depend on whether the seven-day moving average of unlinked cases in either city exceeded five.

As of Wednesday, the seven-day average of unlinked cases in Singapore stood at 1.86.

Separately, Wong told parliament on Tuesday that Singapore was "on knife's edge" and that community case numbers "can go either way over the next few weeks", adding that it had a chance of getting things under control by the end of the month.

Hong Kong's tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases stands at 11,814, with 210 related deaths.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Coronavirus: Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble to launch as scheduled this month despite recent cases, commerce minister says


Hong Kong will launch its quarantine-free travel bubble with Singapore as scheduled on May 26 despite sporadic local coronavirus infections, the city's commerce minister has said.

A quarantine-free travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore is still on track to begin on May 26, the commerce minister says. Photo: AFP

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah offered the reassurance as Hong Kong confirmed two new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday.

One involved a domestic helper arriving from the Philippines and the other a 42-year-old man linked to a local cluster of variant infections connected to a 30-year-old engineer from Dubai. New research however suggests the engineer contracted the mutated virus from a person staying in an adjacent hotel room during quarantine.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Remaining optimistic for the travel bubble launch, Yau said the city's seven-day moving average of unlinked local cases was lower than one, while Singapore's was between 1.6 and 1.8.

"The numbers are well below the established threshold to trigger a pause in the bubble. We will closely monitor if the situation gets worse," Yau told reporters following a Legislative Council session.

© Provided by South China Morning Post Commerce minister Edward Yau says infection rates are well below the threshold that would threaten plans for the Hong Kong-Singapore travel bubble. Photo: Warton Li

According to the terms agreed by both sides, the scheme will be suspended for two weeks if the seven-day moving average of unlinked infections in either city exceeds five cases.

Under the arrangement, one daily flight carrying 200 passengers will be allowed to travel in each direction. The frequency will be increased to two flights per day from each side beginning on June 10 if the coronavirus situation remains stable, although no transit passengers will be allowed.

Anyone currently living in Singapore or Hong Kong, regardless of nationality, will be eligible.

As an added safety precaution, the Hong Kong government is only allowing fully vaccinated residents to make the trip, a rule Singapore has not imposed on its own travellers.

Those aged under 16 years, medically advised against inoculation or using travel documents other than Hong Kong passports for departure are exempted from the vaccination rule.

The latest confirmed cases in Hong Kong have shed new light on how the worrying variant cluster spread. Health authorities said the 42-year-old man was the older brother of the Dubai engineer's 31-year-old female friend, who was the second person to be confirmed as carrying the variant infection in the community.

The 42-year-old and his female flatmate went to a family gathering on April 13 in Chai Wan, and then joined another social event in Sham Shui Po five days later with three domestic helpers, who were all later confirmed as infected.

The flatmate tested positive for immunoglobulin G, a type of antibody, indicating she had recently been infected with the coronavirus. However, she has not been classified as a confirmed case.

According to Polytechnic University researchers, genomic sequencing of the engineer's viral sample was almost identical to that of a 28-year-old man who stayed next door during their quarantine at the Ramada Hong Kong Grand hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. The team said the younger man was very likely to have passed the variant to the engineer.

With less than two weeks to go before the launch of the travel bubble, Singapore is experiencing a sharp rise in domestic cases, with 11 active clusters after months of zero infections. The recent clusters include one at the city state's airport and another at one of its biggest hospitals.

Authorities say several worrying variants in both local and imported infections have also been detected, such as the B.1.617 strain that was first identified in India and is thought to be more transmissible.

The country recorded 88 locally transmitted cases this month, compared to 55 logged in April and just nine in March.

This comes despite a growing number of its residents getting coronavirus jabs. Singaporean health minister Gan Kim Yong on Tuesday said slightly more than one-fifth of the city state's 5.7 million population - or 1.2 million people - had been fully vaccinated, while some 1.8 million individuals had received at least one dose.

Singapore, whose vaccination programme is currently open only to those aged above 45, now has one of the highest vaccination rates in Asia, outpacing Hong Kong, where just 14.7 per cent of residents had received at least one jab as of Saturday.

Asked during a press conference last week whether the rise in domestic cases in Singapore would affect the travel bubble, education minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the virus task force, said the suspension of the travel arrangement would still depend on whether the seven-day moving average of unlinked cases in either city exceeded five.

As of Wednesday, the seven-day average of unlinked cases in Singapore stood at 1.86.

Separately, Wong told parliament on Tuesday that Singapore was "on knife's edge" and that community case numbers "can go either way over the next few weeks", adding that it had a chance of getting things under control by the end of the month.

Hong Kong's tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases stands at 11,814, with 210 related deaths.

Very "brave" of them to launch the travel bubble.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

COVID-19 in Singapore: heading to another total lockdown?

Is Singapore heading back to another total island lockdown?
With the rise in new COVID-19 clusters in Singapore, the island-nation might be heading back into another round of lockdown to control the spread of the virus. This is worrying news, especially considering how the country has done really well in containing the spread during the first wave of the pandemic.

 

[jw5]

How Singapore first reacted to the pandemic
When news of the coronavirus first spread in early 2020, Singapore swiftly restricted people flying in from the Hebei province of China, where the virus originated, from entering the country. Gradually, Channel News Asia noted, the restrictions extended to people of all nationalities who had been in China during their recent travel history.

 

[jw5]

No more transit or short-term travel in Singapore
Once the first local COVID death was reported, the Singaporean government restricted all short-term travellers from entering and transiting through Singapore.

 

[jw5]

Then enforcing the ‘Circuit Breaker’ nationwide
Not long after, Singapore reacted swiftly by enforcing what was termed the ‘Circuit Breaker’ (CB) measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The order was executed nationwide in April 2020. Three phases were to be implemented after CB, to gradually open up the country back to normalcy.

 

[jw5]

Measures taken in detail
The measures included mandating non-essential workers to work from home, a mandatory mask-wearing policy, closure of schools and non-essential businesses. The Singaporean government also passed a bill on April 7, banning all social gatherings of any size in both private and public spaces, Channel News Asia reported.

 

[jw5]

Hefty fines and penalties for those who violated measures
To ensure that citizens do not violate any of the measures, the Singaporean government would penalise offenders with a fine not exceeding SGD$20,000, and/or an imprisonment term of up to 12 months — one of the highest penalties imposed on COVID rulebreakers in the world.

 

[gingerlyn]

Singapore media is avoid the words ‘second wave’.