PM Lee tests positive for Covid-19 again; doctors cite ‘rebound’ which occurs in 5-10% of cases
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
PM Lee Hsien Loong said his doctors have advised him to self-isolate until he tests negative.
PHOTOS: LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE, LEE HSIEN LOONG/FACEBOOK
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has tested positive for Covid-19 again, just days after recovering from his first bout of the virus.
He said in a Facebook post on Thursday morning that he feels fine, and that his doctors have advised him to self-isolate until he tests negative in an antigen rapid test (ART). “My doctors say it is a post-Covid rebound, which happens in 5 to 10 per cent of cases,” said PM Lee, who added that although it is still infectious, the risk is not high as compared with the initial infection.
“I had very much looked forward to attending the consecration ceremony of Sri Thendayuthapani Temple this morning, but unfortunately will now have to miss it to keep others around me safe,” he said.
“My apologies to the organisers, and to all those attending the ceremony. I wish everyone a very successful consecration and celebration!”
On Thursday morning, the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple, located opposite Fort Canning Park, held its consecration ceremony, which occurs every 12 years.
About 12,000 devotees attended the ceremony, also known as Kumbhabhishekam – a Hindu ritual believed to homogenise, synergise and unite the mystic powers of the temple and its deities.
Among those who attended the ceremony were Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong, and Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Joan Pereira.
PM Lee, 71, tested positive for Covid-19 for the first time on May 22.
He was advised by doctors to self-isolate until he was asymptomatic, and was prescribed anti-viral medication Paxlovid because of his age.
As PM Lee recuperates at home, Deputy Prime Minster Lawrence Wong will be Acting Prime Minister in his absence, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday.
Mr Wong will host Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the 8th Singapore-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting on Friday, added the statement.
According to a Reuters report in 2022, a study done by US government researchers showed that a rebound of Covid-19 symptoms in some patients who took Paxlovid may be related to a robust immune system, rather than a weak one.
The patients involved in the study who experienced a rebound in symptoms had higher levels of antibodies, and none of them required additional treatment or hospitalisation.
United States President Joe Biden and his former chief medical adviser, Dr Anthony Fauci, both experienced a Covid-19 rebound as well after taking Paxlovid.
