25 Apr 2020 (12.30pm - 8.30pm)
REACH
[9:30 am, 25/04/2020] : 9 in 10 coronavirus patients in Singapore housed in isolation facilities
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/9-in-10-coronavirus-patients-housed-in-isolation-facilities?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-04-25%209%3A04%3A46
[10:34 am, 25/04/2020] +65 8637 2164: COVID-19: Support staff at Singapore hospitals work quietly behind the scenes
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid19-tan-tock-seng-staff-porters-housekeepers-12651204
[10:50 am, 25/04/2020] : Minister Chan Chun Sing: Even as we applaud our public officers for their hard work as enforcement officers, Safe Distancing and SG Clean ambassadors, we also thank their families for giving them their support to shoulder on.
Just like their families, they make us proud to be in the Public Service.
Let’s hear from their little ones...CCS
#onepublicservice
https://www.facebook.com/175816112470380/posts/3134724399912855/?vh=e&d=n
[11:08 am, 25/04/2020] : [Sent by Gov.sg - 25 Apr]
COVID-19: Bringing down local transmission decisively
↘️ No. of community cases has gone down since the circuit breaker started
- Result of our collective efforts
- A further push is needed to bring daily new cases to single digits
➡ No. of unlinked cases still has not gone down
- Suggests a pool of undetected cases in the community
Best way to bring numbers down is to have everyone stay home
- This will require discipline and social responsibility
Our healthcare workers have been working hard to treat COVID-19 patients.
Let us help them by staying home ๐ช
Together, we can overcome
go.gov.sg/lw-24apr
[12:20 pm, 25/04/2020] : Dear contributors,
Welcome back! ☺️
⏰ Our chat will be open from 12:30pm to 8:30pm today.
๐ REACH is constantly taking note of all the feedback and suggestions shared on our WhatsApp chats, and will send them to relevant authorities for consideration.
Please be reminded to be respectful and considerate to others in this WhatsApp chat group. ๐๐ผ
The topic will be posted shortly.
- Megan
[12:29 pm, 25/04/2020] : ⏰ Our chat will be open till 8:30pm today ⏰
๐ข Topic ๐ข
During these challenging times, a little kindness can go a long way. What can we do daily to show our gratitude towards our frontliners, essential workers and migrant workers?
๐ป Let’s spread some positivity today! ๐ป
#SGUnited #SGTogether
๐ https://www.todayonline.com/big-read/big-read-untold-sacrifices-frontline-healthcare-workers-they-soldier-against-covid-19
๐https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid19-tan-tock-seng-staff-porters-housekeepers-12651204
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[6:30 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
With reference to REACH comments :-
COVID-19: Bringing down local transmission decisively
↘️ No. of community cases has gone down since the circuit breaker started
- Result of our collective efforts
- A further push is needed to bring daily new cases to single digits
➡ No. of unlinked cases still has not gone down
- Suggests a pool of undetected cases in the community
Best way to bring numbers down is to have everyone stay home
- This will require discipline and social responsibility
Our healthcare workers have been working hard to treat COVID-19 patients.
And With reference to the bloomberg news article :-
Singapore ponders mass testing as virus outbreak balloons
Bloomberg Bloomberg April 24, 2020
https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/singapore-ponders-mass-testing-as-virus-outbreak-balloons-061117707.html
As well as UK news articles :-
Britain nears grim milestone of 20,000 coronavirus hospital deaths
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/britain-nears-grim-milestone-of-20-000-coronavirus-hospital-12675638
My close friend comments :-
(1) UK targets to do 100000 tests per day.
(2) What it means is that the longer we delay aggressive testing the more we have to do to catch up because the silent spread is exponential on a daily basis.
(3) In mar south Korea started aggressive testing on a scale of 10000 per day. Our DMS on the contrary said yield little result.
(4) But every asymptomatic case that slip by can turn into a thousand cases in 10days. When it quietly spread until beyond control, we are finished.
(5) Really hope sg is doing aggressive testing.
My comments :-
(1) Yes. Your suggestion of aggressive testing is the right strategy to weed out the unlink cases in Singapore - which remain a stealth reservoir in the Community that are stealthly and silently infecting unsuspecting people in the Community.
My close friend response :-
(1) It's about maximising outcomes, minimising disasters. unless we are poor and cannot afford it. Economic shut costs much much more.
My comments :-
(1) Aggressive testings is the right approach, but to test all 5.6 million residents in Singapore at one go - is a very challenging and daunting tasks.
(2) Thus we need to priorities our testing, I suggest that :-
a. Batch 1 - Dorms for foreign workers are now undergoing aggressive testing. Majority of the infected people have been identified.
b. Batch 2 - Foreign workers outside the dorms are undergoing tests now concurrently - and this form the 2nd largest group after the dorms reported every day.
c. Batch 3 --- Note :- the community local transmission and the unlink cases that are reported everyday --- are coming from this group.
But this group are all the residents in Singapore - citizens, PRs, Long Term Pass Holders. --- which form about 3 to 4 million people.
To conduct aggressive testings to this large pool of people to weed out the 30 to 20 over cases --- will be a challenge.
So I suggest we do the following :-
(i) Batch 3a - Test all essential workers that are working now - as some unlink cases come from this batch - about 300,000 workers.
Batch 3b - Test all nursing homes - where some unlink cases - have been uncovered through this batch - number unknown - but not a big number, I guess.
Batch 3c - Test all pre-school students and staff who will be attending pre-school once circuit breaker ends - as some cases also come from this batch - number unknown --- but i guess quite a big number.
Batch 3d - Test all workers that will be going to work for non-essential services when circuit breakers end - as few cases are reported from this group - a big number - potentially about 1 to 2 million workers?
Batch 3e - Test all school going children eg. primary, secondary, JCs, IHLs - that need to go to schools and pose a risk of cross infection - before circuit breaker ends - potentially about 1 to 2 million students?
(ii) Note :- by testing all the Batch 3a to 3e ---- if there is any discovered cases --- their family members or those living with them or come into with them will be tested --- and these will have weed out the unlink cases.
(iii) Can we take the risk of not testing all those staying at home --- yes i think we can --- because if the above batches are tested - with no infection - very likely that those stay at home are not infected.
(iv) If anyone of the tested batchs have people infected, then likely that those stay with them will be infected - and this stay at home can be tested.
(v) Believe in this way --- we have a systematic aggressive way of testings to weed out all the unlink cases in the Community.
[6:30 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
Only 7 SC/PR and dorm numbers coming down.
Circuit breaker measures working well.
[6:30 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
We put a caveat to the systematic testing.
If the community spreading and local transmission consistently drop into single digits to zero, then we suggest not begin with the systematic testing - as the Stay at Home and social distancing have shown 100% effective and can dispense with aggressive testing.
However, suggest that we should continue testing for those who are in dorm as well as those foreign workers who are not in dorm as they are still many reported cases.
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[5:05 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
Straits Times
25 Apr 2020
Singapore has changed the dynamics of its care of Covid-19 patients by treating nine in 10 of them in community facilities instead of acute hospitals.
The move not only differentiates those with mild illnesses from others with life-threatening conditions, but also saves the hospitals from being deluged.
Community facilities now house 9,878 patients - out of the 11,107 current patients. This means just 1,229 patients are still warded in acute hospitals, including 24 in critical condition.
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[7:32 pm, 24/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
Analysis of our current covid situation :-
(1) Today though reported 897 cases - the infection numbers are coming down.
(2) 13 cases are local transmission - the lowest recorded compared to few days ago.
(3) So indeed the circuit breaker measures are reaping positive outcome - as we can see that local transmission are coming down based on the past few days numbers.
(4) The dorm figures are also coming down from thousands to a couple of hundred with aggressive testings.
(5) Notice that 8874 have been moved from hospitals to isolation houses and only 1368 need to be in hospital.
(6) This indicates that 8874 are mild cases - that do not need active medicinal intervention and can recover by themselves.
(7) Only 1368 need medical attention while 25 need ventilators support.
(8) So all these are encouraging signs - that we are slowly turning our tide and fight against the covid virus.
---
[6:39 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
My close friend contribution :-
Pleased to see that community cases are dropping. The next step is enlarged the test criteria for the community to institute testing for
(1) those under quarantined/SHN before lifting their movement restrictions. When the community cases start to clear up, there is no reason to release those close contacts without testing them.
(2) occupationally higher-risk groups should be tested once they showed symptoms e.g. Public facing personnel, healthcare support workers etc
The foreign workers new cases appear to be sliding but the absolute number is still high means infection rate potentially still very fast. There will be some way to go before we see lower numbers. Once the symptomatic workers are segregated, we can practise random testing supposedly healthy group to check on the infection rate. E.g.. Sample x number of workers everyday picking from different floors and different blocks to monitor the infection level.
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Ron Ho
[7:03 pm, 25/04/2020] : Reach, it is quite unfortunate Minister of Manpower failed to understand or refuse to appreciate the frustrations of the employers. Two key issues. First the constant changing of the goalposts by the Task Force (example is the use of masks) frustrated many. The decisions should have been tight and severe and done once. Second, the little time given to the contractors who had little leeway to find food in a hurry. It was unfair to the contractors. Just because the Task Force realized to late, they just jammed the emergency brake. Frankly, worse of all, the Ministers in the Task Force did not apologise for their shortcomings and failure to foresee some of the occurrences. More reactions rather than pro- actions. These are my frank views of the situation.
[7:16 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
Actually WHO medical experts sabo our Government who undertake an evidence based approach to tackle this virus pandemic - when clearly those medical experts still did not get the full picture of how this virus infect human.
[7:17 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
And of course the worldwide shortage of face masks exacerbated the whole situation.
[7:23 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
No government in the world can claim they do well in this virus pandemic - not China, not US, not Japan, not SKorea, not even Taiwan when their warships saga penetrated.
So I suggest not to blame and point fingers in the midst of a prolong battle with a stealth and difficult to defeat enemy but keep providing good workable suggestions.
It is easy for those critics especially oppositions to sit behind a pc to start shooting because they don't need to fight the battle but just need to find fault.
[7:28 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
We may not win all the battles.
We only need to win the war.
Rama
[7:29 pm, 25/04/2020] : Tactically
[7:30 pm, 25/04/2020] : Tactfully *
XaniceAfcai
[7:30 pm, 25/04/2020] : Still need to take precaution.
Now the issue is when sch reopen, wondering if student still need to wear mask to sch.
[7:31 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
And winning the war include not only against the virus, it also includes the Economy, the survival of the business, every ones job.
[7:33 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
Can the oppositions do better?
Other than criticizing and finding faults?
Ron Ho
[7:33 pm, 25/04/2020] : It is only right to point out our own weaknesses, shortcomings, and lack of competence. There is nothing political in criticisms. We are apolitical. But it is better to eat humble pie and improve. I have praises too but I have criticisms also. The inaction to edict wearing of masks for all was 3 weeks too late and this has cost much infection to go around. People do not know or see but asymptomatic cases have been reported for last two months except we did not take it seriously.
[7:35 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
I think the government did.
They issue reusable face masks in double quick times.
We are talking about millions of Face masks.
Ron Ho
[7:35 pm, 25/04/2020] : Your defence is quite indefensible as our leaders have brains to analyse. No point in pursuing this line of defence.
[7:38 pm, 25/04/2020] : Again, don't defend. There is nothing to say govt must provide masks. Don't treat people like children. Just say the right thing like 'wear masks' and people will find way to make or get mask. I have said this before and I am saying it again.
[7:38 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
I don't cry over spill milk.
I look forward and do better.
I am also not good in finding faults because I find that it is not helpful except it demoralise the generals and those in the front lines battling the enemies.
Ron Ho
[7:39 pm, 25/04/2020] : Don't start politicising. I am not criticising for politics.
[7:41 pm, 25/04/2020] : Neither am I into over praising as people get swollen headed and don't do their jobs.
[7:41 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
And I am not defending what is wrong but have been rectified.
Why needs to keep harping on the past when rectification has already been made?
Ron Ho
[7:42 pm, 25/04/2020] : Nothing is past till virus is gone.
[7:42 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
And can anyone stand out and say they have makes no mistake in their entire life?
Elena Woo
[7:43 pm, 25/04/2020] : Agree. We just need to move forward to rectify it.
REACH
[7:45 pm, 25/04/2020] : ๐ตSing Together Singapore! is about to begin ๐ค
๐บ In 10 minutes, tune into any local television channel, radio channel or Gov.sg to show our appreciation to our frontline workers, migrant workers and to all of you staying at home by singing along to “Home”! ๐๐ผ
#singtogetherSG #SingaporeTogether #stayhomeforSG ๐ธ๐ฌ
๐ https://www.facebook.com/109555293685/posts/10158325525848686/
Anne
[7:46 pm, 25/04/2020] : WHO has lost its credibility (actually they lost it long ago), hope our G in future no longer blindly follow and quote these ‘experts’.
WHO under fire: A timeline of the global body's response to the coronavirus pandemic
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/who-under-fire-a-timeline-of-the-global-bodys-response-to-the-coronavirus?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-04-25%2019%3A04%3A06
REACH
[7:46 pm, 25/04/2020] : Sing along to Home on Saturday to thank front-line, migrant workers:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/sing-along-to-home-tomorrow-to-thank-front-line-migrant-workers?xtor=CS3-18&utm_source=STiPhone&utm_medium=share&utm_term=2020-04-25%2019%3A04%3A25
Elena Woo
[7:46 pm, 25/04/2020] : The govt is already doing their best within their means and trying to maintain a balance between from going overboard, sane and protecting and mitigating, and I believe they try to do on the basis of International Expert Advisories such as WHO. Unfortunately no one can foresee the future for loopholes entirely. The fw episode is one of those that creeped in somehow.
[7:48 pm, 25/04/2020] : At least our govt when detects an issue, tries to resolve it as much as possible, not like some country president who is still in denial and shifting blame and still not rectifying and doing anything.
Anne
[7:57 pm, 25/04/2020] : The problem is sometimes we put too much trust in these ‘international experts’. We quote them and just assume they are always right, because of their ‘science’. We assume they ‘know’ more than most mortals and most of us never question them. We also assume they always tell us the truth when in fact there are times when they intentionally lie. I wonder who are the people who are really controlling these ‘international’ bodies like WHO, IPCC, IMF, BIS, etc.
Elena Woo
[7:59 pm, 25/04/2020] : That is true. But if we cannot even trust "experts", then we cannot even trust the normal doctors. If we can trust no one, then who are we to say what is right as we are not even "experts"?
Anne
[8:04 pm, 25/04/2020] : You are right. We cannot totally trust, not even our normal doctors. There was once when I consulted not 1, but 4 dentists, to assess my oral condition. And by doing so I got a better picture of my situation. One dentist was out to ‘scam’, another dentist claimed a procedure could not be done but actually it could (as of now it’s already done). So that’s why we cannot totally trust any one expert but have to do some critical thinking and maybe consult more experts, in maybe more than 1 field, to decide on the most optimal course of action.
Ron Ho
[8:01 pm, 25/04/2020] : Please don't generalise. I have been very specific. And please don't defend what should not be defended. I have said my piece. You have said yours. I want the Task Force to know many in the public are unhappy. I get more feedback outside this chat which I have funneled to Reach separately. So please stop defending.
[8:06 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
I am not defending.
I am saying don't demoralise by keep harping on issue that have been rectified.
We need to move on to fight the virus but not attacking those who are still battling.
Unless you have ideas to contribute.
In a battle no one is happy as every one need to sacrifice.
Patrick Loke
Ron Ho
[8:11 pm, 25/04/2020] : I have sent many proposals through REACH directly. I don't use G2 chat for that. Don't worry Danny. I am for fighting the virus and for supporting our front line. But when decisions are not made when they should be made, and when I sense lack of aggressive direction, I do not shrike my duty as a citizen to say so. And I pull no punches. I am not flowery type. Let's stop at this as it is not productive.
[8:12 pm, 25/04/2020] ☸️ Danny ๅฟ:
Ok we will stop at this.
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