Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on September 10 that the country will promote the strategy of isolating mild cases of nCoV infection at home.

The decision was made after a pilot program showed positive results.

Singaporean medical staff took samples from a migrant worker on May 15.

High vaccination rates, with about 80% of the population having received a full dose of vaccine, are the premise for this policy, as large vaccine coverage helps significantly reduce the number of severe cases and the risk of death, even when

Most current nCoV cases in Singapore are mild or asymptomatic, with viral loads decreasing much faster than unvaccinated cases, the National Center for Infectious Diseases Singapore (NCID) said.

Along with high vaccine coverage, Singapore has also expanded and increased testing, making this a regular habit for workers returning to the workplace.

According to associate professor Alex Cook at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore, the combination of high Covid-19 vaccination rates and aggressive testing means Singapore will see more and more cases.

However, Cook assessed that to respond to the next waves of infection, Singapore needs a new nationwide approach that helps separate the treatment of mild or asymptomatic cases from serious cases.

`We must focus our best resources on treating those most affected. Unvaccinated cases will be more severe than vaccinated people. According to recent MOH data, for every 1,000 cases,

The current Singapore health system still meets the treatment needs of pandemic response well.

However, hospitalizations are increasing.

`We don’t want to be in a situation where the health system is burdened unnecessarily,` Cook said.

Office workers during lunch break in Singapore on September 8.

This expert also pointed out that from a personal perspective, for people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, have only mild or no symptoms, and whose family members have also been vaccinated, having to go to the facility is a must.

Booster vaccinations for the elderly, a measure that can overcome the risk of vaccine effectiveness decreasing, are also expected to help them avoid hospitalization.

Isolation of nCoV infection in a hospital or centralized facility is the foundation of Singapore’s successful anti-epidemic strategy to date, helping to contain the spread of the virus and create time for vaccination.

In addition, although tightening restrictions will help reduce the number of infections, the price to pay is too great both economically and socially, in a context where people are tired of the pandemic and are forgiving.

`To prevent that risk, we must conduct regular testing and seriously implement the strategy of isolating cases at home as we move into the next phase of the pandemic,` Cook concluded.