SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): In April, when the Covid-19 outbreaks in the United States and United Kingdom were 10 times worse than Singapore's, both places felt numbers were good enough to loosen restrictions and allow people to mingle more.
SINGAPORE - With the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 likely to be endemic, regular vaccination will be the new normal, experts said at a live panel discussion organised by The Straits Times on Tuesday (June 1).
“At some point, we will see Covid-19 being included as part of our national immunisation schedule for both adults and children, and perhaps we will need regular booster shots from time to time to make sure we continue to be protected, especially against any new emerging variants,” said Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.
As Singapore plans for the new normal with Covid-19 as an endemic disease, top experts speak to The Straits Times' science correspondent Audrey Tan on how to live with the virus. Here are some questions answered:. Read more at straitstimes.com.
And this will not be the last time that the virus mutates, the experts added.
Professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the National University of Singapore s (NUS) Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, told The Straits Times on Saturday (May 29): What is frightening is the speed at which this variant is able to spread and circulate widely within the community, often surpassing the capability of contact-tracing units to track and isolate exposed contacts to break the transmission chains. It has the potential to unleash a bigger pandemic storm than the world has previously seen.
B1617 has mutated to spread more easily from person to person, and may dampen the protection conferred by vaccines as well as natural infection, though only slightly, experts say.