SINGAPORE, Jan 10 — Imposing country-specific measures is not the right path to preventing Covid-19 infection waves since new waves and variants can emerge from any part of the world, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament yesterday (January 9).

Ong said in a ministerial statement that boosting vaccination levels for Singaporeans and incoming travellers is a better approach.

"The latest worry about the outbreak in China is part of the new norm. Today it is China, tomorrow another region may experience a major wave.”

He noted that many regions in the northern hemisphere are in fact experiencing rising infections of both Covid-19 and influenza over the winter season.

"New infection waves are bound to start in Singapore from time to time, over and over again, as variants with 'immune escape' emerge, protection from vaccines and previous infections wane and re-infections increase,” he said, referring to variants that escape vaccine protection.

"While we step up global surveillance and consider border measures whenever we feel threatened, remember the best defence, and which everyone of us can play a part, is to have up-to-date vaccinations,” said Ong.

Ong was responding to parliamentary questions filed by several Members of Parliament (MP) including Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency MP Joan Pereira on China easing its travel restrictions.

Pereira asked whether Singapore would take precautionary measures to prevent new waves of Covid-19 infections here.

China has been experiencing a surge of Covid-19 infections following its decision to lift Covid-19 measures such as lockdowns and mass quarantines.

In his speech, Ong said that the percentage of imported infections is only about 5 to 10 per cent of total infections detected in Singapore.

In the four weeks leading up to Jan 1, seven of all imported cases developed severe illness and had to be hospitalised, most of whom were Singaporeans returning from overseas.

Three of the cases were returning from Middle East, two from Southeast Asia, and one each from China and Europe.

According to Ong, the number of travellers from China formed only a small percentage of imported infections despite the country experiencing a big wave of infections.

This is because of two reasons: The low travel volume between Singapore and China, and Singapore’s test requirement for at-risk travellers, who have to be fully vaccinated or produce a negative pre-departure test result before heading to Singapore.

In addition, Singapore also has a highly vaccinated population that has developed strong hybrid immunity.

As of December 31 last year, about 60 per cent of Singaporeans aged 18 and above are up-to-date with their vaccinations.

The first key concern now, said Ong, is the emergence of a new, unknown and more dangerous variant, which can come from any country in the world.

To mitigate this risk, the Government actively participates in global surveillance efforts that systematically collect samples from infected persons from all around the world.

These viral genomes are then sequenced and then shared on a global platform that is publicly accessible, such as the commonly-used global Covid-19 genomic sequence platform run by Gisaid, a non-profit organisation.

"It (new and unknown variant) may possess worrying characteristics — escape vaccine protection, be more infectious and lead to more severe cases, which would be very bad news. A nightmare variant can knock us back to almost square one,” he said.

"We must then be prepared to hunker down. We may need to reinstate measures such as strict border controls, quarantine for travellers, social restrictions including limit on group sizes, until a new and effective vaccine is developed,” said Ong.

The second key concern is the pressure of new infections on Singapore’s healthcare system, which is minimised by encouraging adequate vaccination among all travellers coming to Singapore.

"This directly reduces the risk of importing severe cases and protecting our hospital system,” said Ong.

In a separate ministerial statement on Monday, Transport Minister S. Iswaran told the House that there are currently 38 flights weekly between China and Singapore, which includes two recently approved flights to Beijing.

This works out to an average of five to six flights per day at Changi Airport.

The 38 flights a week is less than 10 per cent of the number of flights between China and Singapore before the pandemic.

He said that with China's border reopening, Singapore and Chinese airlines have applied to operate more flights between the two countries.

Iswaran added that the authorities are evaluating and will progressively approve these applications.

"As with other countries previously, we will carefully restore air connectivity with China, taking into consideration the prevailing public health assessment as well as Changi’s capacity, so that we can ensure efficient operations and a safe and smooth travel experience.”

Radin Mas Single Member Constituency MP Melvin Yong then asked if the Government would enhance measures for travellers from China, such as requiring them to wear face masks while on flights.

Iswaran said that his ministry has taken measures where necessary, such as stepping up the personal protective equipment requirements for all passenger-facing and janitorial airport workers.

About half of all Changi Airport workers have updated their booster shots, while those who have not can do so at the Raffles Medical Group clinic at Terminal 3.

"Our aviation community will stay vigilant, and stand ready to respond quickly should there be a material change in MOH’s risk assessment, such as the emergence of a new variant of concern. This is the new normal for aviation as we emerge from Covid-19,” said Iswaran. ― TODAY