SIA is bringing the COVID-19 virus from China to Singapore

[red amoeba]

Instead of July, the gates of hell opened today. Millions of virus laden chinks will come. This is legalised bio terrorism.

 

[Pinkieslut]

Instead of July, the gates of hell opened today. Millions of virus laden chinks will come. This is legalised bio terrorism.

Sounds like great news!

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Business missions, leisure travel between Singapore and China poised to restart as curbs ease​

Travellers at the international airport in Chengdu, China, on Friday. China will open its borders on Sunday. PHOTO: REUTERS
Ng Wei Kai and Tan Dawn Wei

JAN 7, 2023

SINGAPORE – At least four business missions between Singapore and China will take place over the next three months as travel between the two countries restarts following three disrupted years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) said the moves follow many requests from various Chinese government agencies to reconnect in 2023.
From Sunday, China will open its borders and relax requirements, which currently require travellers to quarantine at a hotel or other facility for at least the first five days after arrival.
Mr Edward Ang, the chairman of SCCCI’s international affairs committee, said: “Provincial governments have been actively organising upcoming visits to Singapore, together with China companies, searching for new cooperation opportunities.”
In anticipation of travel curbs easing, connectivity between the two countries has gradually been re-established.
On Dec 27, 2022, Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced it would restart flights to Beijing from the Republic, on a fortnightly basis. Such flight services had been suspended since March 2020 – the height of the pandemic.
This came after the airline reinstated flights from Beijing to Singapore on Sept 27, with flights operating twice-weekly. SIA also flies to and from Shanghai on Mondays and Saturdays.

Mr Ang added that, in response to this development, SCCCI is monitoring the situation and considering organising more business missions to China when borders are fully open.
Chinese citizens are looking forward to return to Singapore for work and leisure.
Among them is Beijing-based wine importer Colin Li, 35, who is planning a trip in April or May.

But he has to first renew his passport, which expired in 2021. China suspended passport renewal for non-essential travel in July 2021 to prevent new Covid-19 variants from being brought into the country.
The Chinese immigration authority said recently it will resume granting new passports to Chinese citizens who wish to travel.

Mr Li is keen to visit the island-state for the first time to explore business opportunities and possibly use Singapore as a base to market his brand of baijiu, a liquor that is considered China’s national drink, to the rest of South-east Asia.
The last time he left China was for a work trip to Italy in 2019.
His business in China took multiple hits in the past three years, with the folding of many restaurants and the collapse of the consumer market as China imposed a strict zero-Covid policy. Then, international shipping costs soared because of the pandemic.
“At its highest, I was paying 10 times more than usual,” Mr Li said.
In 2023, he has been snared by global inflation.
“I hear there is a good market in Singapore, given the large ethnic Chinese population and number of immigrants from China. So we want to target Singapore first before expanding out to the region,” he said.
Mr Li, who recovered from Covid-19 two weeks ago, is not worried about catching a different variant in Singapore.
Another Beijing-based resident is Ms Liu Yue, 26, who has just recovered from Covid-19 and said she is still feeling a little weak.
“But once I think my body’s defences are up again, I think it’s time to go see the world again. It’s been too long.”
The marketing executive has been eyeing Singapore as a destination since seeing a short video clip on Douyin – China’s version of TikTok – that featured the Marina Bay skyline more than a year ago. She heard the Republic is “fun, with great food and shopping, but expensive”.
Her passport too expired in 2021, and she has not been out of the country since a trip to Seoul with her family in early 2019.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said mainland China remains an important market for the country.
Its executive director for Greater China, Mr Andrew Phua, said: “Throughout the pandemic, STB has continued to build affinity for Singapore as a destination among Chinese travellers.”
“With China reopening borders from Jan 8 and imminent outbound travel in due time, STB is partnering with Chinese travel company CTrip to launch a joint marketing campaign with a greater focus on quality and premium experiences for forward bookings,” he added.
Said Mr Phua: “This is the first promotional destination campaign by STB and CTrip since China’s latest announcement.”
He added that STB will gear up for the resumption of outbound travel from China by continuing marketing and trade engagement efforts.
The resumption of flights to the Chinese capital is also a boon for Beijing natives living in Singapore.
Student Shilin Guan, 18, said she had been looking forward to flights restarting as most of her family is based there.
“The flights will make everything convenient, because previously if I wanted to go to Beijing, I’d have to land in another city and quarantine there and then fly to Beijing and do another round of quarantine,” she said.
“I know a lot of people from Beijing who haven’t gone home in years because of the indirect flight situation.”

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Sample wastewater of flights from China​

Jan 9, 2023

Wastewater sequencing, also known as sewage epidemiology, is a method of monitoring and tracking the spread of infectious diseases by analysing genetic material found in wastewater samples.
Singapore has used this method in battling Covid-19.
Countries such as Malaysia are monitoring samples from flights from China to check for evidence of Covid-19.
I agree with Singapore’s stance not to put restrictions on travellers from China, but it may also be a good idea for us to monitor the wastewater of flights from China.

Keiichi Hayashi (Dr)

 

[Touchy]

XBB.1.5

习爸爸病毒

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Malaysia to open special lanes for China travellers amid Covid-19 concerns​

Those who are symptomatic will be referred to health officials, and undergo throat swabs as well as RTK-Antigen Covid-19 tests. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Jan 10, 2023

PUTRAJAYA – Malaysia’s Immigration Department will provide special lanes for travellers from China at international entry points, amid concerns of the rapid outbreak of Covid-19 in the country.
Those who are symptomatic will be referred to health officials, and undergo throat swabs as well as RTK-Antigen Covid-19 tests, said the Health Ministry in a briefing in Putrajaya on Tuesday
All travellers entering Malaysia will be screened through a thermal scanner. Those who are found to be ill or symptomatic, or made self-declarations or self-referrals, will undergo further examination.
“Right now, we’re worried not just about the cases from China, but other countries that are experiencing a rise in cases, such as the United States, Japan, and others,” said Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah. “We are monitoring the situation closely.”
The ministry’s deputy director-general (public health), Datuk Dr Norhayati Rusli, said: “Covid-19 positive travellers in categories one and two would be given the option to isolate themselves at home or their lodging residences.
“Those in categories three, four and five will meanwhile be referred for further treatment in either public or private hospitals,” she said.
She added that flight attendants and ground staff would also assist Health Ministry officials in monitoring whether incoming travellers exhibited Covid-19 symptoms.

She noted how there were 4.096 incoming travellers from China since their borders reopened on Jan 8, with no positive cases recorded yet.
“We will continue to monitor the situation diligently,” she said.
The number of new reported Covid-19 cases in Malaysia has been on the decline while patients requiring hospitalisation dropped 2 per cent last week, compared with the previous week.
Last month, Health Minister Zaliha Mustafa said the country will test wastewater samples from all flights from China for Covid-19.
Pre-pandemic, China was the third-largest country in terms of tourist arrivals in Malaysia. About 3.1 million Chinese tourists visited Malaysia in 2019, from the overall 26.1 million arrivals, according to data from Tourism Malaysia. BLOOMBERG, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

More Chinese tourists visit S’pore clinics to get jabbed against Covid-19 with mRNA vaccines​

MOH said that those on short-term visit passes can purchase vaccines at non-subsidised rates under Singapore’s Private Vaccination Programme. PHOTO: ST FILE

Ng Wei Kai

Jan 12, 2023

SINGAPORE – More tourists from China are visiting Singapore clinics to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with mRNA vaccines, as leisure travel between the two countries resumes after nearly three years.
Healthcare chain Raffles Medical, which operates 34 clinics in Singapore, said last week it has noticed a steady flow of visitors from China coming to get Covid-19 jabs here since the latest bivalent vaccine by Moderna was rolled out here, with an increase of about 5 to 10 per cent seen towards the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, Parkway Shenton said it has seen more Chinese nationals coming for mRNA vaccines, and has received queries from Chinese travel agents about tourists receiving such vaccines.
But Thomson Medical, another large chain, said it has seen no uptick in vaccine demand from Chinese tourists.
This comes as China reopens its borders and scraps quarantine requirements, effectively allowing leisure travel to resume for its 1.4 billion citizens after nearly three years of isolation due to its Covid-19 policy.
In response to queries, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday that those on short-term visit passes here, which includes most tourists, can purchase vaccines at non-subsidised rates under Singapore’s Private Vaccination Programme. The programme began in April 2022 to cater to those who do not qualify for the National Vaccination Programme.
MOH said that, as at Jan 1, 2023, around 3,000 doses have been administered and that of these, 95 per cent went to short-term visit pass holders.

MOH added that it monitors the number of vaccine doses that are administered through the programme, and it has not observed a significant increase in the number of doses administered under the PVP in December 2022.
It added that there is sufficient stock available for Singaporeans and residents under the National Vaccination Programme.
Parkway Shenton added that it is consolidating enquiries and working with the relevant stakeholders to secure the necessary vaccine stocks. It said that the mRNA vaccines offered under the PVP come from a different pool than those that supply the National Vaccination Programme.

The healthcare chain also added that Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs), which provide vaccines under the Private Vaccination Programme, are not participating in the national programme nor providing any other Covid-19 vaccines.
At Raffles Medical, a Moderna bivalent vaccine dose costs $140.40. To get one, one must be at least 18 years old and produce their vaccination record to be advised of eligibility.
A Raffles Medical spokesman said last week: “We expect a steady increase as Chinese Nationals begin their overseas travelling again. Some possible push factors include the need to maintain their fully-vaccinated status depending on the countries that they are travelling to, and to stay protected against Covid-19.”
Parkway Shenton’s medical director Edwin Chng attributed the interest in the vaccine from Chinese travellers to the lack of access to non-mRNA vaccines in their home country. He said: “They want to get better protection with mRNA vaccines.”

mRNA vaccines, like the ones manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna that most Singaporeans have received, are not readily available in mainland China, which has mostly administered its home-grown Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. These use the traditional inactivated virus technology and are generally understood to be less effective than mRNA vaccines.
Inactivated vaccines – an older technology used in the polio and influenza vaccines, among others – are made up of dead viruses, unlike mRNA vaccines, which use just parts of the virus’ genetic material to stimulate an immune response.
Studies here and abroad have found that mRNA vaccines stimulate a stronger immune response to the Covid-19 virus than inactivated vaccines, though inactivated vaccines have been shown to prevent severe disease.
China is currently in the grip of a surge of Covid-19 cases, brought on in part by the relaxation of tight restrictions.
Infectious diseases specialist Leong Hoe Nam told The Straits Times on Thursday that Singapore and its low Covid-19 death rate are viewed by many as reputable, which may be an important factor for many Chinese deciding to come here for the vaccine.
Dr Leong said: “They may also trust in Singapore’s healthcare system, with its high level of transparency, and Singapore is a tourist destination, so they may also want to kill two birds with one stone

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

WHO working with China on Chinese New Year Covid-19 risks​

A lack of data is proving to be an issue in working with China on how to mitigate the risks of CNY travel PHOTO: AFP

Jan 12, 2023

GENEVA - The World Health Organisation said it is working with China to manage the risks of Covid-19 surging again as people travel for Chinese New Year celebrations, but the country’s response continues to be challenged by a lack of data.
Covid-19 is spreading in China after the country lifted its zero-Covid policy in December, but the WHO said it still does not have enough information from China to make a full assessment of the dangers of the surge.
That is also an issue in working with China on how to mitigate the risks of travel ahead of the Chinese New Year public holiday, which falls on Jan 22 this year, the WHO said. The holiday was known pre-pandemic as the world’s largest annual migration of people.
“We’ve been working with our China colleagues,” said Dr Abdi Rahman Mahamud, director of the WHO’s alert and response coordination department. He said the country has a number of strategies around people travelling from high-risk to low-risk areas as well as around testing and clinics.
“But to understand better we require that data,” he added.
The WHO also said that China is still heavily underreporting deaths from Covid-19, although it is now providing more information on its outbreak.
“There are some very important information gaps that we are working with China to fill,” said WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, Dr Maria Van Kerkhove.

China says it has been transparent with its Covid-19 data. The country’s National Health Commission said Chinese officials had exchanged views with the WHO earlier on Wednesday in a video conference on issues including the current epidemic situation, medical treatment, vaccination and other technical matters.
The WHO also said it would soon publish a risk assessment on the XBB.1.5 Omicron variant that is driving an uptick of Covid-19 cases in the United States.
Emergencies director Mike Ryan praised the US for the “radical transparency” of its data on the variant’s spread.
He said that was one reason why the WHO has not backed measures to monitor incoming travellers from the US, while it has described as understandable similar steps taken by some countries for travellers from China, including Covid-19 testing and wastewater monitoring.
“I really think you just cannot compare these two situations,” he said. REUTERS