Stay alert to threat of Covid-19 returning

The authorities here have put the public on notice with a warning this week that there had been a 23 per cent week-on-week increase in community infections of the coronavirus pandemic. The rise has been driven largely by the increased spread of the newer Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. The warning comes on the back of an earlier alert that the next Covid-19 wave could hit Singapore in July or August. That wave would be driven by the two sub-variants of the virus, based on what has been happening in other parts of the world such as the United States and South Africa. However, there is no cause for alarm given the level of vaccinations here, and the public health system's preparedness to fight a disease that has become endemic. But it should not be forgotten that Singapore has recorded 1,378,090 Covid-19 cases and 1,405 deaths. Covid-19 remains a threat, even if everyone wishes to move on.

There is every need for public caution in avoiding a return to bad times. Seniors are among those who should be in the vanguard of any such effort. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case. Some 80,000 people aged 60 and above have not taken their booster doses. That is despite the fact that those who have taken their vaccine booster shots are three times less likely to die or become severely ill from Covid-19, compared with those in the same cohort who have had only two shots. Indeed, seniors with all three shots have a three in 1,000 chance of these negative outcomes, while those with two shots have a 10 in 1,000 chance of that occurring. Those who remain unvaccinated are at the highest risk, with a 40 in 1,000 chance of death or critical illness requiring intensive care. Seniors should not delay availing themselves of the protection that they need.