18 Apr 2020 (2 pm - 10pm)
REACH
[10:15 am, 18/04/2020] : Minister Lawrence Wong: We are going all out to suppress the virus outbreak in the foreign worker dormitories. It’s a massive undertaking involving many people on the frontline - SAF and SPF officers, officials from MOM, as well as our healthcare doctors and nurses.
More: https://www.facebook.com/192130117495006/posts/3667650523276264/
[11:24 am, 18/04/2020] : [Sent by Gov.sg - 18 Apr]
COVID-19: Respect our Enforcement Officers (EOs) and Ambassadors
- 12 reports of EOs and Ambassadors being verbally and physically abused (e.g. slapping, punching and head-butting)
- Zero tolerance for abuse ➡ Fines and/or imprisonment will be enforced
EOs and Ambassadors help ensure safe distancing, and play an important role in safeguarding our health
go.gov.sg/noabuse-18apr
Businesses to comply with measures:
📝 F&B outlets will be fined for failing to enforce safe distancing
🚫 13 businesses fined for continuing to provide non-essential services
😷 11 shop staff fined for not wearing masks
✅ Businesses must do their part to protect workers, eg. workers should not be deployed across outlets
✅ Supervisors to check workers are well, train them to observe safe distancing measures
go.gov.sg/covidbreach-17apr
The health of all depends on each one of us
[11:29 am, 18/04/2020] : Dear contributors,
We will be opening the chat from 2pm to 10pm today. The topic will be posted shortly.
Thank you
Megan
[1:05 pm, 18/04/2020] : REACH Live! (Mandarin) Highlights #1
Why should we wear mask whenever we go out? Let's hear from Ms Tin Pei Ling 陈佩玲!
https://www.facebook.com/92744267226/posts/10157147220947227/
#SGUnited
[2:00 pm, 18/04/2020] : Dear contributors,
Welcome back! ☺
⏰ Our chat will be open till 10pm today.
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.
📢Topic📢
On Friday (17 Apr), there were false rumours stating that PM Lee would be making an announcement on a "partial lockdown" of the country by region. During this sensitive period, it is important that we refrain from sharing false information.
As responsible citizens, how can we curb the spread of fake news so we do not create panic among others while facing this crisis together?
👉 https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/coronavirus-covid-19-false-rumour-pm-lee-announcement-lockdown-12652446
#SGUnited
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[2:41 pm, 18/04/2020] ☸️ Danny 心:
CNA
18 Apr 2020 09:31AM
(Updated: 18 Apr 2020 09:50AM)
MOH flags concern over unlinked COVID-19 cases, says tests on patients at primary care facilities indicate 'undetected cases in community'
The health ministry on Friday (Apr 17) flagged concern over unlinked cases of COVID-19 in Singapore, saying that tests on a sample of individuals at primary care facilities have picked up several positive diagnoses, which indicate "undetected cases in the community".
Primary care facilities in Singapore include polyclinics and general practitioner clinics.
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MOH also raised concern over a rising number of unlinked cases.
"We are particularly concerned that it is increasingly difficult to link the new cases and identify the source of infection," said MOH in its press release on Friday.
"In fact, the number of unlinked cases in the community has increased slightly, from an average of 19 cases per day in the week before, to an average of 22 per day in the past week," it added.
MOH also said that an ongoing surveillance programme on a small sample of patients at primary care facilities has revealed several positive cases.
"We have picked up some cases through these tests, which is an indication of undetected cases in the community," it said. No further information was provided by MOH.
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This means that personal-to-personal contact tracing has come to a dead end.
And if personal-to-personal contact tracing is assuming 100% effective - why are there still many unlink cases?
There could be contaminated places infected by sick person - that cannot be unfold by personal-to-personal contact tracing that lead to the current many unlink cases.
Re-visiting Joint Contribution with my close friend --- the "Suspected Loopholes and deficiency in just adopting personal-to-personal contact tracing" :-
Section A - How to tackle unlink cases - widen criteria for test
[6:46 pm, 13/04/2020] ☸️ Danny 心:
Joint Contribution with my close friend :-
(1) The rise in unlinked cases (167 on 12 apr) and large number of cases (in the hundreds) is alarming as this suggests community spread is (i) becoming pervasive (ii) likelihood that asymptomatic persons are contributing to the rapid spread and (iii) current method of contact tracing is unable to cope.
(2) we hope that the relevant authorities widen the test criteria for covid19 e.g. It was reported that a confirmed case was having fever and cough but was not tested and after the symptoms persisted for several days and was finally tested and confirmed. During the period where the symptoms appear to confirmed it might have spread to several others and chain of transmission proliferates exponentially. When community spread has become pervasive, can the authorities consider widening the test criteria e.g. Persons who showed symptoms and worked in public facing environment should be tested.
(4) With the large daily number of cases and if these were a result of community asymptomatic spread, contact tracing based on closed contact will need to be enhanced. Can the authorities look into contact tracing using mobile signals. The privacy issue related to such tracing should be allowed during such special situation. Once a person is confirmed, can the authorities retrieve from Telcos the mobile signal logs related to the person in question and trace his/her movement over the past 14 days. And all the related mobile signals that were in close vicinity. We can them identify all the persons who have come close the the confirmed case and perform tests in them on them. If positive, isolate and treat quickly without waiting for symptoms to appear and isolate those who are tested negative.
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[2:41 pm, 18/04/2020] ☸️ Danny 心: =---
Section B - Tackling unlink cases by crowd mapping
[8:33 pm, 13/04/2020] ☸️ Danny 心:
Part ! - 2 Things that we felt have loopholes - that can be done better (at the backdrop of more and more local transmission)
(1) We are getting increasingly more and more concern as local transmission - is now the predominant infection source. Imported infection is very low and in 13 Apr 2020 is zero.
(2) What is worst, now the main transmission sources come from unlink cases :-
13 Apr 2020 - 167 cases (where 141 are foreign workers working in dorm) and the rest are residents.
12 Apr 2020 - 119 unlink cases
10 Apr 2020 - 71 unlink cases
(3) We felt that mild asymptomatic cases could be the major infection sources in our local transmission.
(4) If this is the case, 2 things we do currently may not go right and may have flaws :-
a. Contact tracing and Testing
a. Contact tracing and Testing
- by identifying the infected person - and trace those people he/she contacted with - may have misssed important infection sources :-
- eg. the toilet he/she visit (as he/she may discharged droplets and virus in wash basin and toilet bowls.
- eg. infected person use his contaminated fingers to press the lift buttons, hold the handrail in MRT or bus or sneeze or cough in the lift.
- eg. infected person eat in food court and contaminate the chairs, tables, utensils etc
- although other people did not come into contact with this infected person --- they may still get infected - that result in the many unlink cases.
- Tracetogether mobile apps - will not be able to detect such unlink cases.
- So even if the contact tracing is 100% successful and all those who come into contact with the infected person are trace through the Tracetogether apps (assume all people installed) or detective means, tested and quarantine or Stay at Home ----- the above infection sources can still infect healthy people that come into contact with contaminated areas --- as tracetogether won't tell where the infected person has leave his/her trace of contamination.
Even through personal interview, he/she may not remember all the places he/she goes.
Joint Contribution with my close friend :-
Part 2 - Proposed 2 Alternative approaches to plug the loopholes
(1) And we will like to propose an alternate perspective and approach (that deviate from how the above 3 things are done) - as the number of local transmission cases and unlink cases are on the rise every day.
a. Contact tracing and testing
- Based on the scenario described in Part 1, where vicintiy and surface areas can be contaminated by infected persons ---- Cannot be based on close contact anymore.
- Adjusting Contact tracing approach become important.
- "Like I heard in HK", one person infected , entire block qurantined, everyone in the block need to be tested and the whole block need to be disinfected.
- By using this approach - we can catch and weed out those mild and asymptomatic cases where they don't come into contact with the infected person - but got infected by contaminated surfaces, aerosol left in the air.
- Thus we felt that using Tracetogether mobile apps and even detective legworks - will not fully cover all the contaminated areas as well as those people who don't come into contact with the infected person - but got infected by touching contaminated areas (as tracetogether don't identify areas that the infected person visit and people may tend to forget certain place they visit when interview by detective).
- A more effective method is to use location-based tracking - such as mobile signal data, GPS location tracking that we can collect from the respective Telcos - that provide all contact data for contact tracers to scientifically traced all people in the vicinity that is visited by the infected person - and get all these people tested, quarantine if need be.
(Question :- Is it possible to use mobile signal tracing to trace all the places that the person has visited over the past 14 days? And trace all the signals that were in the same premises around the same time?
Answer :- Yes. All are logged into the syslog.)
- There is a need to widen the criteria for tests - as we know that there is a limit a test can be done per day using our golden standard test kits - that need lab test to verify the outcome and will need a day to know the test result.
- As such, there is a need to have a faster and cheaper tests --- that is a rapid test kit to quickly test those people in the vicinity that have no close contact with the infected person - though with 95% accuracy.
- For those that show symptoms and for those that come into contact with the infected person --- the golden standard lab test kit - can be retested on these people - to ensure they are not infected - if yes - then sent to hospital for treatment, else quarantine at home.
(The point is - Even if there 95% accuracy, can quickly isolate the infected.)
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[6:44 pm, 18/04/2020] ☸️ Danny 心: ---
My close friend's contribution on how to counter fake news :-
Part (1) Continue to maintain "one version of truth".
a. Maintain an authoritative website to check for correct info. When a directive changes, please keep the old directive but highlight that it has changed and point back to the latest. This will reduce confusion.
b. Maintain an open channel for public to verify or validate info. This helps to counter ill intents aiming to deceive.
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[6:44 pm, 18/04/2020] ☸️ Danny 心: ---
Part 2. Ensure mainstream media like ST, CNA, Zaobao report.
- Measures are changing very quickly.
- Report should be correct, complete and concise, easily summarise into infographics and tables.
- Link current with past reports
(i) what's new? E.g.. It is mandatory to wear masks when we step out; cloth masks also helps to provent covid 19 transmission
(ii) what has changed? E.g.. gov no longer discourage wearing of masks
(iii) what remains the same? Wear masks if you're sick; no need to wear masks when engaging in strenuous exercise such as running or jogging; social distancing still applies
(iv) what's obsolete e.g. only surgical or medical grade face masks protect
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[6:44 pm, 18/04/2020] ☸️ Danny 心: ---
Part 3. Wise up
a. question the source of info we receive. Gov authoritative sites? Mainstream media? Eg. PM will be addressing at 4pm to announce further lockdown. No such annoucements? Stop spreading and educate sender.
b. smell a rat
E.g. PM will a announce locking down by regions e. North, south, east, west and central. Does it make sense in singapore. Of course not! Are public servants allowed to leak info before PM announcements. No, that will tantamount to OSA offence. Stop spreading and educate sender.
c. Half-truths. Be clear of what-is and is-not so that we will not fall prey to scams. (1) & (2) is important for public to stay informed
d. Speculation. Eg. There is impending lockdown. Think and discern what it means to me. Plan before act such as planning my family needs and for how long? Be realistic. Resist re-acting to every speculation. Even better, stay informed about happenings around the world and start planning.
e. Dismissing the truth as fake. There was advice going around to advise people not to login to budget website and calling it fake. Sounds like good advice because our singpass, bank info may potentially be phished. Gov should think what strategy to counter such dismissal attempts.
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