In ‘post-Covid’ Singapore, doctors warn against complacency as XBB cases surge
- Many doctors in city state are worried about complacency, saying some residents are too laid-back, including some young people
- Cases are rising fuelled by XBB Omicron variant so ‘exercise extra precautions. You do your part; society does its part’
Singapore’s approach to living with Covid-19 has helped it remove almost all pandemic-era curbs and open the door back up to tourism.
But as the city state embarks on an “open for business” path, doctors worry that a sense of complacency among residents, who are accustomed to the virus and eager to move past the health crisis, could put pressure on its nimble medical system.
The financial hub has seen a resurgence in Covid-19 cases fuelled by the highly transmissible XBB Omicron subvariant, prompting warnings against “abandoning all precautions”.
“Patients are generally more laid-back about the whole thing. They’re more relaxed. They’re not like previously when they were really worried,” Dr Sunil Joseph said.
Joseph, a general practitioner, said his patients had also displayed other easy-going behaviour towards the disease, including not wearing a mask when they were home with family members and even declining a medical certificate and continuing to work.
Singapore, one of the few economies in Asia to have embraced a post-pandemic transition, recorded almost 60,000 infections in the week ending October 17, up from about 41,000 the week before.
Authorities expect daily cases to reach a peak of 15,000 by mid-November. While the government is optimistic that Singapore’s hospitals can handle the present surge, healthcare experts suggest that complacency among residents could be costly.
