Despite efforts, inevitable that S'pore will see Covid-19 fatalities: Gan

It is inevitable that Singapore will see a fatality from the coronavirus, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said yesterday.

Mr Gan, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force set up to combat the spread of the virus, told a briefing that patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) - nine as of yesterday - are in critical condition.

"So far, our healthcare workers are working very hard and trying their best to support them, and hopefully, they can recover. But it is inevitable that at some point in time, we will see fatalities from Covid-19, as we have seen all around the world," he said.

Mr Gan gave a similar warning in the past. He had told a briefing on Feb 12: "While most infected patients will recover, some may become seriously ill, and a small number may succumb to the infection ultimately. We have to be prepared for the worst."

Medical services director Kenneth Mak, who was also at yesterday's briefing, said Singapore was fortunate that a number of those hospitalised were only mildly symptomatic and patients had been kept in hospital for long periods to ensure they were free of the virus before being discharged.

He said: "There are some individuals in the ICU who are ill, they all require oxygen support, which for a large part involves the use of a ventilator.

"A number of these individuals have received other treatments, including the use of anti-viral medications."

While the Ministry of Health does not comment on individual patients in the ICU, Case 42, a 39-year-old Bangladeshi worker hospitalised around a month ago, has yet to be discharged.

He had been in the ICU for about three weeks as of Feb 27.

The Bangladesh High Commission said he had been suffering from respiratory and kidney problems and pneumonia before being infected with the coronavirus.