Serious Many Pappys don't like OngYK..not Team player.

[jw5]

OYK announces that Sembawang Central will restart eMPS from this Wednesday.

Ong Ye Kung​

12 hrs ·
Sembawang Central will restart eMPS from this Wednesday until further notice. This is in order to continue serving our residents whilst ensuring the safety of all residents and volunteers.
For residents who need an MP appeal, please email me with your particulars and contact numbers. Our volunteers, mostly working from home, may give you a call if clarification is required, and prepare the appeal letters. I will then vet, sign and submit each letter electronically.
Stay safe, everyone!
#MakeSembawangSpecial

 

[jw5]

Good response to OYK.

Soong LH
Hi Sir. I don't get it. If government s direction is for the people to live with the virus, why are MPs still carrying out e-MPS? And why is government still asking people to send their unvaccinated children to schools? You can't have the cake and not eat it. It's either you keep the community cases low (i.e. zero or a few cases a day) or you truly open up like the western countries. And more importantly, we commoners look up to the government to lead the way. In my humble opinion, it is very inconsistent to continue with e-MPS when government is asking the country to go out there to live with the virus. In crucial times like this, it is not the time to sit on the fence and take a middle path. It is time to remember the wisdom and gumption of our founding fathers which bring us to where we are today. God bless and I hope the country will move forward boldly and wisely.

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Ong Ye Kung on rising Covid cases: Circuit Breaker is the last resort​

Singapore — Health Minister Ong Ye Kung seems to be the man of the hour, as all eyes are on him because of the sudden spike in Covid-19 cases.

On Friday (Sept 24) Singapore saw its largest number of new cases to date, with 1,504 people testing positive for Covid.

While he has been quoted as having called the surge in infections a “rite of passage” on the road to normalcy and warned that the journey to reopening would be “uncertain and full of twists and turns,” the mood in Singapore has got somewhat tense, with Mr Ong taking some of the heat for the uptick.

A petition has even circulated online calling for his resignation.

However, in an interview with Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao published on Sept 22, Mr Ong remained his usual unflappable and calm self.

When a senior citizen asked if Singapore should be placed under another Circuit Breaker period of restrictions, he said this would be the “last resort,” adding that authorities are keeping a watchful eye on the situation.

Two factors, however, will determine if a CB should be implemented or not.

“The first, is the number of cases of serious illness, and whether our ICUs have sufficient capacity to cope. ​

Secondly, whether we have sufficient beds for all those who have been infected with Covid-19 and wish to go to a hospital or to a Community Care Facility (CCF),” the Health Minister said.​

If the number of serious infections stays low, and ICUs are able to cope, things will stay as they are.

Otherwise, there will be a need for more stringent measures.

When another person asked if “mini-restrictions” would be necessary to keep the number of infections down, he said that the virus should not be feared, which would lead to lockdowns, as the aim is to co-exist with it.

A balance between carefulness and lifting all the restrictions at once should be found, he added.

Another question posed to him concerned public transport, specifically about why so many are allowed on public transport vehicles.

Mr Ong said that not enough evidence has been shown concerning the spread of Covid-19 on public transport, and he pointed out that buses and trains are very well-ventilated.

However, he underlined that wearing a mask and not talking on public transport is still needed to ensure everyone’s safety.

 

[Confuseous]

Two factors, however, will determine if a CB should be implemented or not.

“The first, is the number of cases of serious illness, and whether our ICUs have sufficient capacity to cope. ​

Secondly, whether we have sufficient beds for all those who have been infected with Covid-19 and wish to go to a hospital or to a Community Care Facility (CCF),” the Health Minister said.​

Strange criteria for KPI: it is like waiting for x number of accidents/deaths before they will put up speed humps

 

[jw5]

OYK encourages pregnant women to get vaccinated.

Ong Ye Kung​

3 hrs ·
Meet the Bala family, and the newest member of their household.
Suzanna delivered her second child earlier this month. She was among the first group of pregnant women to receive their COVID-19 vaccination at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital Vaccination Centre earlier this year.
Like all mothers-to-be, Suzanna wants her baby to be healthy and strong. She did her research, consulted the KKH team, and took her first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine when she was 30 weeks pregnant.
It gave her a greater peace of mind during her pregnancy. That she and her baby would be protected.
Over 85% of pregnant women who are hospitalised due to COVID-19 infection are not fully vaccinated. Of these women, about 20% experienced severe symptoms and required O2 supplementation, and another 10% required high dependency and ICU care.
In contrast, no vaccinated pregnant woman requires O2 or ICU care so far.
The COVID-19 vaccine protects pregnant women and their babies. So please get vaccinated. Daddies - please alert your wives to this message too.
With that, happy delivery to all mothers-to-be!
Photo credit: Ms Suzanna Tang

 

[jw5]

OYK encourages seniors to get their boosters.

Ong Ye Kung​

22 hrs ·
From tomorrow, eligible seniors who are 60 years and above can just walk into a vaccination centre, polyclinic or participating PHPC to get their booster dose. No appointment needed.
To be eligible for a booster, seniors must have completed their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine about six months ago.
Since the booster programme started on 15 Sep, more than 215,000 seniors have received their boosters. It will help maintain a high level of immunity amongst our seniors. Booster dose is also safe and effective.
Encourage your senior loved ones to get their booster when it’s their turn.

 

[jw5]

OYK visited the new Bukit Panjang Polyclinic.

Ong Ye Kung is with Edward Chia Bing Hui 谢秉辉.​

7 hrs ·
Bukit Panjang and Kallang Polyclinics opened their doors to residents and patients today. In mid-December, Eunos Polyclinic will also be ready to receive its first patients.
I visited the new Bukit Panjang Polyclinic this morning. It is the first polyclinic co-located with a nursing home and a senior care centre in this 12-storey healthcare facility.
The new polyclinics form part of our expanding polyclinics network. In the next 9 years, we aim to open 9 more polyclinics. One of them will be #Sembawang Polyclinic, which will be part of Bukit Canberra – built with sports facilities, a park and a hawker centre.
By 2030, a new polyclinic in Tiong Bahru will also join the lineup of polyclinics. The new polyclinic will be larger, and equipped with elderly-friendly and accessibility features, to cater to the higher proportion of seniors living in the area.
These are challenging times to build new healthcare institutions, and it has been 4 years since we last opened a new polyclinic. I thank all who have worked very hard to deliver these primary care services for our residents.

 

[jw5]

OYK talking to polyclinic staff.

 

[jw5]

OYK talks to polyclinic patients.

 

[jw5]

OYK talks to polyclinic pharmacist.

 

[jw5]

The new polyclinic from the inside.

 

[jw5]

The new polyclinic from the outside.

 

[jw5]

OYK shares a home recovery story.

Ong Ye Kung​

7 hrs ·
I know the home recovery programme did not start on a pleasant note for many. But with the help of the SAF and everyone stepping up, teething issues are being resolved.
Today, over half of the COVID-19 patients recover at home, and many had an overall positive experience.
Here is Leonidas Chua’s home recovery story.
During his self-isolation, Leonidas continued to work from home, watch a few movies, play the guitar and catch up on reading. Very much like normal daily life, except for regular monitoring of temperature, pulse rate and oxygen level each day.
We will keep improving to ensure a smooth home recovery for more. This is critical to our journey living with COVID-19.
(MOH video by Will Lim)

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

'Many and complex' COVID protocols will be simplified: Ong Ye Kung​

https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/sing...-fica-pritam/ar-AAP7qkq?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

SINGAPORE — The Singapore government will look into streamlining its COVID-19 healthcare, testing and isolation protocols, so that residents will find them simple enough to follow, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Saturday (2 October).

He acknowledged during a media conference by the Multi-ministry Taskforce for COVID-19 (MTF) that the current slate of protocols - which include Quarantine Orders, Health Risk Warnings, Health Risk Alerts and Rostered Routine Testing - can be "quite a bit of an alphabet soup".

"The protocols are...confusing and even frustrating" to the man in the street, said Ong, who co-chairs the MTF. He noted that they had been designed with the purpose of "trying to snuff out every cluster", but the country is in a "totally different position" now as it tries to ride safely through the current transmission wave.

The minister admitted that the confusion over protocols also contributes to an "overall apprehension" that COVID is a very serious disease, when it is not so for vaccinated people.

"This issue needs to be addressed because, if people don't understand, they can't do their part to exercise personal responsibility, much less help others," said Ong.

As such, the MTF is reviewing all the COVID-19 protocols holistically, making them "as easy to remember as possible", and hopes to present them soon.

Potential testing changes​

Director of medical services Kenneth Mak also elaborated on potential changes in testing protocols for whose infected with COVID-18 but who have no symptoms.

Responding to a question on local health experts' recommendations that asymptomatic testing should stop, Prof Mak said his ministry is re-evaluating whether polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests should still be carried out in certain situations.

"As far as our protocols are concerned, we have lightened up," said Prof Mak. For example, a PCR test is no longer automatically recommended should an asymptomatic individual test positive on an antigen rapid test (ART) at home.

"We emphasise that these individuals can exercise social responsibility to self-isolate and self-monitor for any symptoms that they may have. If, after three days, a repeat ART is now negative, they can actually resume their normal activities."

 

[jw5]

from msn.com:

Government has always planned for 'big surge' in COVID cases: Ong Ye Kung​

SINGAPORE — The government has always planned for the possibility of a "big surge" in COVID-19 cases, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung in Parliament on Monday (4 October).

Referring to a query by Sengkang Member of Parliament He Ting Ru, Ong said, "The Member seems to have a narrative that we...did not plan for all this. On the contrary, we have always planned for a big surge."

The Workers' Party MP had asked about the government's planning parameters when it first announced that Singapore would move into the endemic phase of the pandemic. She said, "How many cases were we planning for that event before this current surge? Was it 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000?"


Alluding to the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health's projection that COVID-19 cases in Singapore might rise up to 10,000 a day, Ong said that he and his fellow multi-ministry taskforce (MTF) on COVID-19 co-chairs had consistently warned that the number of cases and deaths would rise.

Ong, who is also MP for Sembawang, noted that the four-stage re-opening process was announced without a timeline as the MTF needed to "watch the situation". When cases began to surge in end-August as the Delta variant took its toll, the authorities were ready to handle 1,500 cases a day.

While the government is currently ramping up capacity to handle up to 5,000 cases, it is already planning how to handle 10,000 cases, Ong said. "So in terms of planning capacity manpower, we always want to bounce ahead."

In her query, He also asked if the MTF's communications and messaging could be improved, given a surplus of confusing acronyms, flow charts and spreadsheets. "I think everybody want(s) to avoid a situation where...every time we loosen some restrictions, we see a massive surge and people cannot actually get any answers, or they cannot get through the hotlines."

Ong noted that the MTF had said on Saturday that the "many and complex" healthcare, testing and isolation protocols will be streamlined so that residents will find them simple enough to follow.

However, Ong "fully acknowledged" that the Home Recovery Programme (HRP) had not gone well, partly because it was still a pilot programme when the surge in cases happened. "All the complaints about conveyancing, calling, not getting in, people not getting responses, is not because the beds were totally full, but processes with regard to the HRP was not totally ready and we were caught by the sudden increase."

Stressing that HRP must work, he added, "Then, the great majority of patients who are well, no symptoms, mild symptoms can recover at home, then the hospital capacity that we planned for can focus on the 2 per cent that really needs help."

 

[jw5]

OYK calls on everyone to lend a helping hand.

Ong Ye Kung updated their status.​

19 mins ·
In May last year, Ann stepped forward to offer help for the COVID-19 frontline operations by joining the #SGHealthcareCorps (SHC).
Now, Ann is a full-time Senior Care Associate at St. John's - St. Margaret's Nursing Home, caring for elderly residents.
We need many more like Ann to step forward. In the last week, almost 600 individuals have stepped up to offer their time and expertise. They include doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and even some without any healthcare experience but who simply wanted to help. We are matching them to deployment opportunities in our healthcare institutions and other partner organisations.
We have set up more ‘hardware’ in our care facilities, but it is a constant challenge to find and deploy the ‘heartware’: our doctors, nurses and medical teams who keep our services running.
So I would like to make a call to our doctors, nurses and everyone to lend your helping hand.
If you want to help out in the fight against the pandemic, I welcome you to join the SHC. We appreciate the support!
To sign up: go.gov.sg/shc-covidops
For enquiries: [email protected]

 

[jw5]

Photo credit: St. John's - St. Margaret's Nursing Home

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

240,000 people have completed their Covid-19 booster jabs: Ong Ye Kung​

SINGAPORE - About 550,000 individuals have been invited to take Covid-19 vaccine booster jabs, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Monday (Oct 4).

Of these, 350,000 have done so or booked an appointment. Some 240,000 people have completed their jabs, he told Parliament.

Responding to questions from MPs, he said that individuals eligible for boosters will include those aged 50 and above and all who are immunocompromised.

The Expert Committee continues to review international data to assess the efficacy and safety of booster shots for younger groups, as well as those exposed to higher-risk environments, such as healthcare and front-line workers, Mr Ong said.

He added: "In time, we will also be inviting eligible individuals who have taken the Sinovac or SinoPharm vaccine... to take their mRNA booster shots. However, most of them are not due yet."

Mr Ong said vaccination remains key to the nation's battle against Covid-19.

Those fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines are about 40 per cent protected against infection from the Delta variant, he said.

"Nevertheless, both vaccines remain very effective in protecting against severe illnesses from Covid-19 infections," Mr Ong added.

As for those who have received the Sinovac vaccine, "meaningful data" on its effectiveness is not yet available as only a small number of people - less than 2 per cent of the population - have received this shot.

 

[jw5]

from straitstimes.com:

TraceTogether 'not cleared' issue for Covid-19 home recovery patients to be resolved soon: Ong Ye Kung​

SINGAPORE - People who have recovered from Covid-19 at home, but find that their TraceTogether app still shows they are "not cleared", will have this issue resolved in the next few days, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung in Parliament on Monday (Oct 4).

The alert will be synchronised with their discharge dates, meaning that it will automatically disappear on the day they complete their home recovery, he said.

This means that vaccinated people will be able to resume normal life after 10 days, while non-vaccinated people will be able to do so after 14 days.

Mr Ong was responding to Ms Jessica Tan (East Coast GRC), who said she had received several requests for help on the issue.

Once a person tests positive for Covid-19 in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, the TraceTogether app test status will show that he is "not cleared".

This prevents the person from entering most buildings, including for activities such as dining and grocery shopping.

Typically, the test status would be cleared once he takes a second PCR test and obtains a negative result.

But many patients on home recovery are not offered such a test.

Mr Ong explained that fully vaccinated people are automatically discharged from home recovery after 10 days, as studies have shown their viral loads would have dropped significantly by that time.

"The IT system needs to keep up with that policy," he said. "I expect this problem to be resolved sometime this week."

 

[jw5]

OYK likes to be known as "Uncle Ministar".

Ong Ye Kung​

13 hrs ·
Speaking to children has been one of my favourite parts about an MP or “Uncle Minister” as some of them would call me.
I enjoy their innocence, sense of wonder, and candor when voicing out their thoughts.
Uncle Minister looks forward to meeting all of you again, hopefully soon. I am confident that Children’s Day will be celebrated differently next year.
Happy Children’s Day!
#MakeSembawangSpecial