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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the next few months of Singapore's strategy to living with Covid-19 "will be trying".

In an address to the nation on Oct. 9, PM Lee said that he expects daily cases to continue rising for some weeks, putting Singapore's healthcare system under pressure.

However, PM Lee said that the surge will level off at some point, and cases will start to decline, hopefully within a month, just like the experiences of other countries.

He added that as pressure eases off on the healthcare system, Singapore can relax its restrictions cautiously to avoid starting a new wave.

Living with Covid-19 strategy

Hence, PM Lee outlined several steps that Singapore needs to take to press on with its strategy to live with Covid-19.

Update our mindset

The first step that Singaporeans need to take, according to PM Lee, is to "update our mindset".

"We should respect Covid-19, but we must not be paralysed by fear," he said.

PM Lee added that Singaporeans can go about their daily activities as normally as possible, taking necessary precautions and complying with safe management measures.

"With vaccinations, Covid-19 has become a treatable, mild disease for most of us," he said while cautioning that the threat of Covid-19 is now mainly to unvaccinated seniors aged 60 and seniors above the age of 80 even if they are vaccinated.

Shift to Home Recovery

As 98 per cent of cases can recover at home, PM Lee said that Singapore is shifting to relying heavily on Home Recovery as the norm for Covid-19 cases.

"You can get well in a familiar home setting, without the stress and bother of admitting yourself into a care facility," he added and said that the Home Recovery programme will "greatly ease the  strain on our hospitals, doctors and nurses."

PM Lee also mentioned that the Home Recovery would free up badly needed beds for Covid-19 patients at high risk of becoming seriously ill, especially the elderly.

Nonetheless, in his speech, PM Lee acknowledged people's concerns and anxieties about Home Recovery, but he assured everyone on Home Recovery that they "will get the care and support" needed throughout the recovery journey.

"Earlier, our service delivery fell short. But we have worked hard to fix this, and put things right," he added.

Simplify healthcare protocols

He also said that since Covid-19 has become a "manageable disease", Singapore should now drastically simplify its healthcare protocols.

In his speech, he said that people must be clear on what to do if they are tested positive or came into contact with someone who was infected.

"Each one of us needs to take personal and social responsibility," PM Lee said and added that Singaporeans need to test themselves as necessary, self-isolate if found to be positive and consult a doctor if we developed symptoms.

"Knowing what to do, we will no longer find Covid-19 such a scary disease," he said.

Unvaccinated seniors

PM Lee also expressed his concern towards unvaccinated seniors as they are the more vulnerable to death.

In his speech, he said that a disproportionate number of the 142 Covid-19 deaths recorded were unvaccinated seniors.

His message to the unvaccinated seniors: "If you are above 60 and not yet vaccinated, you are at very high risk – please get your jabs now!"

As for the elderly who are already vaccinated: "Please get booster shots to strengthen your immunity."

He said that for a vaccinated senior, taking the booster shot reduces their risk of severe infection by more than 10 times.

To put it in another way, he said, to the virus, "the booster shot makes a vaccinated 80-year old look like a much younger vaccinated 50-plus year old!"

At the same time, PM Lee urged seniors themselves should take extra precautions by cutting back on "makan, kopi and beer sessions with your friends and kakis."

Vaccinating children below 12 years old

PM Lee also said that parents are concerned about is children under the age of 12 as vaccines have yet to be approved for such young children.

As cases grow, he said parents are understandably anxious about their children catching the virus, but data shows that children with Covid-19 seldom get seriously ill.

"We are closely tracking the progress of vaccine trials on children in the United States," he said and added it is likely that by early next year, Singapore will start vaccinating children as soon as vaccines are approved for them, and experts are satisfied that they are safe.

Reopen borders safely

In his speech, PM also spoke on the importance of Singapore to connect back to the world.

In particular, he said that Singapore must continue to reopen its borders safely as companies and investors need to carry out regional and global business from Singapore.

As of now, Singapore has started Vaccinated Travel Lanes with Germany and Brunei, and South Korea.

These pilot projects have shown it is possible for vaccinated persons to travel safely while letting in very few Covid-19 positive cases, he said.

"We are implementing more such arrangements, especially with countries whose Covid-19 situations are stable," PM Lee added.

This will keep Singapore connected to global supply chains and help to preserve its hub status.

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Top image via Prime Minister's Office