The Pandemic in Singapore

  China passes 1 billion mark in Covid-19 vaccine doses administered Some provinces are offering Covid-19 vaccines for free to encourage people to get the jabs. PHOTO: REUTERS BEIJING - China has passed the one billion mark in the number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered, the country announced on Sunday (June 20). This is more than a third of the total administered worldwide.  In a brief statement, the National Health Commission said that as of Saturday, 1.01 billion doses of coronavirus vaccines had been dispensed. According to a calculation by The Straits Times, some 100 million of those shots were administered in the past five days.  Even as China battles a wave of cases in the southern province of Guangdong, this is a significant step towards reaching Beijing’s ambitious goal of vaccinating 40 per cent of the country’s population, or about 580 million people, by end-June.  China was one of the first countries to roll out Covid-19 vaccines last Dece...

  Study of 29,000 people quarantined in S'pore shows Covid-19 vaccines can prevent infection and severe illness SINGAPORE - A local study analysing the data of 29,000 people quarantined in Singapore, including those unvaccinated, has found that Covid-19 vaccines offer 79.1 per cent protection against the disease. A similar study done in Britain found that vaccination offered 88 per cent protection, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Friday (June 18). "We are 79 per cent, so not very far off," added Mr Ong, who was speaking at the press conference held by the multi-ministry task force tackling Covid-19. Vaccination also reduces the risk of an infection developing into a severe illness. Mr Ong noted that of the 629 local cases reported since April 11 who had not been fully vaccinated, 54 of them or about 8.6 per cent developed serious illness, needing oxygen supplementation or admission into intensive care units (ICU). "As for those fully vaccinated, there are altoget...

  Pfizer ramps up vaccine tests on more kids under 12 Dated 10 June 2021 Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/pfizer-ramps-up-vaccine-tests-on-more-kids-under-12  It expects data from five-to 11-year-olds in Sept and may seek emergency use authorisation NEW YORK • Pfizer said it will begin testing its Covid-19 vaccine in a larger group of children under 12 after selecting a lower dose of the shot in an earlier stage of the trial. Compared with adults, children are much less likely to develop severe illness following Covid-19 infection. Nearly four million children in the United States have tested positive for the virus since the start of the pandemic, according to the American Academy of Paediatrics. The study will enrol up to 4,500 children at more than 90 clinical sites in the US, Finland, Poland and Spain, the drugmaker said on Tuesday. Based on safety, tolerability and the immune response generated by 144 children in a phase one study of the two-do...

  S'pore among lowest-risk places as CDC revises travel advice WASHINGTON • The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has eased travel recommendations for more than 110 countries and territories, including Singapore which ranks among places with the lowest risk for Covid-19. New guidelines The key countries and territories now on the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) revised Covid-19 risk alert levels and guidance for travel. LEVEL 4 (VERY HIGH) Guidance:  Avoid travel to these destinations. If you must travel to these places, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel. Destinations:  Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Iraq, the Netherlands, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Sweden. LEVEL 3 (HIGH) Guidance:  Make sure you are fully vaccinated before travelling to these destinations. Those who are not vaccinated should avoid non-essential travel to these places. Destinations:  Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ir...

  19 May  First Day of FHBL  It was the first day of FHBL for all government schools and higher learning in Singapore. People logging into SLS experienced slow connectivity which was resolved later in the morning.  A student of mine actually emailed me to ask me whether I could rectify the problem.  I was on duty watching over three lower primary students. There was Nathaniel, a P2 boy, who has a keen interest in Alaskan King Crabs.  What is the better face mask?  It is recommended to go with the 3-ply surgical mask for its greater filtration capabilities. Avoid those with vents that filter incoming air but not the exhaled air. There was a video that circulated showing a man blowing out a flame of a lighter with a different type of face mask. The surgical mask and N95 mask did not allow air to pass through and thus the flame could not be extinguished.  Efficacy of the Covid-19 vaccines  The vaccines are known to create antibodies that are goo...