Covid-19 could look more like flu with vaccines, improved treatments: Lawrence Wong
COVID-19 could begin to look more like influenza, with vaccination and improvements in treatment, and Singapore now sees promising signs from countries that have raced ahead in vaccinations, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.
"The reality is that Covid-19 is unlikely to go away anytime soon," Mr Wong, who also co-chairs Singapore's Covid-19 multi-ministry taskforce (MTF), told Parliament on Monday.
"As my fellow MTF co-chairs and I have shared, we are preparing a roadmap for Singapore to transit to such a scenario where we learn to live normally with Covid-19," he said during a ministerial statement detailing support measures for businesses and individuals.
"I know that there is a deep longing in all our hearts to go back to how things were before the pandemic," Mr Wong told the House.
Many people feel a sense of helplessness not knowing when normalcy will return, he noted, adding that he shares and understands these concerns.
But the government now sees promising signs from countries that are ahead of Singapore in vaccinations.
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With vaccination and improvements in treatment, Sars-CoV-2 could begin to look more like influenza in terms of morbidity and mortality.
"Israel is one such example. Its vaccination rate is amongst the highest in the world - about 60 per cent of its population has been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine," said Mr Wong.
This has led to the country opening up most of its economy, he noted. While it has seen a recent rise in cases, mostly due to the delta variant, hospitalisation rates have not risen thanks to protection from the vaccine.
Mr Wong reiterated Singapore's target to vaccinate two-thirds of its population by National Day.
Calling it an ambitious target, Mr Wong said the authorities are making steady progress towards it and are "going all out" to engage older Singaporeans to get more of them vaccinated.
"Then we will be able reopen our economy safely," he said. "We will ease the safe distancing rules progressively, especially for vaccinated persons. And we can look forward to larger gatherings, concerts, performances and sporting events, and eventually to travel again."
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