Singapore has to be ready for community spread, mutation of coronavirus: Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE — Despite Singapore's efforts, there could be community spread of the novel coronavirus locally, and this is a possibility the country must be ready for, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said in Parliament on Monday (Feb 3), as he laid out the various ways in which the ongoing situation could develop.

In a ministerial statement outlining the Government’s response to the coronavirus situation, he recalled how the 2003 Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) pandemic took eight months to play out, and that there could be a long road ahead before the novel coronavirus dies down too. 

“We are not sure how this virus will turn out, and therefore, we must stand ready to respond to new developments as the situation evolves,” he said.

He added that Singapore will put together an assistance package to help affected communities in China, as the coronavirus is “not a problem for China but for the world”. More details of the package will be announced at a later date, he said.

Mr Gan listed three possible scenarios that Singapore is preparing for:

1. Community spread in more Chinese cities beyond Wuhan or in other countries

In such a situation, Mr Gan said the Government might need to roll out additional measures to prevent importation and to contain the virus, on top of tough new entry restrictions already announced on Friday. 

Current entry restrictions apply to people who have travelled to China recently, and those with passports from the People’s Republic of China. 

In implementing additional measures, he said the decision “would again not be an easy one”, but “we have to do what is necessary to protect the health and safety of our people and those who travel to Singapore”.

2. Local community spread in Singapore

So far, all 18 cases of infection detected here were imported, and all the cases share a recent travel history to Wuhan, a city with more than 11 million people in central China where the virus originated. 

But in the event that community spread occurs and becomes “very extensive”, measures such as cancelling mass gatherings and suspending schools will be considered to reduce human-to-human interactions, said Mr Gan.

Authorities might look into paring down non-essential care services and introducing further infection control and monitoring measures to slow the spread, he added.

3. Mutation of the virus

Mr Gan also warned about the “known unknown” of the virus possibly mutating to become more infectious and spread widely, resulting in a pandemic. 

In this case, the Government will have to assess what best to do depending on how the virus mutates, since it could go both ways by becoming less infectious or more severe, he said. 

Mr Gan said healthcare institutions are stepping up preparations for these potential scenarios, such as by increasing their capacity for isolation beds by around 100 in the past two weeks.

These institutions have also been increasing their capacity for testing for the virus, so that suspected cases of infection can be confirmed more quickly.

Mr Gan called on residents to support healthcare workers during this time, say that there is no need to avoid such workers, as those handling suspected or confirmed cases are required to don personal protective equipment that ensure their protection from the virus.

Safety policies and procedures at hospitals are “strict”, he added.

“Let us stand behind them and support them in this period,” he said. “They may be our friends and family, or even strangers that we meet on the streets or public transport.

“A smile, a kind word or an encouraging message goes a long way to helping them keep their spirits high, and know that we are behind them.”