On 2 Apr 2020, the death of an Indonesian Covid-19 patient in Singapore was reported. He was the fourth casualty in Singapore.
And a day later, Singapore has reported its 5th death to the highly infectious virus.
Ministry of Health Reports 5th Covid-19 Death in S’pore
On 3 Apr 2020, the Ministry of Health reported that an 86-year-old Singaporean Covid-19 patient has succumbed to the illness at 1.55am (3 Apr 2020).
She was admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Disease (NCID) on 31 Mar 2020 and tested positive on the same day.
She has no travel history to affected regions and countries.
NCID is now reaching out to her family to render their assistance.
Protect The Elderly
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), data shows that the elderly, as well as those with underlying medical conditions, are at higher risk of dying to Covid-19.
According to Worldometer, a website run by an international team of developers, researchers and volunteers to provide relevant statistics to the world, people above the age of 80 have a 21.9% probability of dying while people from 10 to 39 years old has a 0.2% probability of fatality.
This is also why Singapore is asking Singaporeans and residents to distance themselves from the elderly, even going as far as to close nursing homes to visitors until 30 Apr 2020.
The Singapore authorities have asked Singaporeans living with an elderly to avoid interacting with them if they’re unwell.
Even within their own homes.
It’s Hard But We Have To Do So
While it is hard, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong encourages Singaporeans to do so as much as possible.
And for those who are living separately from the elderly in their families, they are encouraged to minimise interaction, particularly if they’re unwell.
Visitors are also barred from visiting nursing homes in Singapore from 2 Apr until the end of the month after a new cluster at a nursing home emerged.
Nursing homes with more than 200 beds will be split into zones.
It was also found that people with pre-existing conditions have a higher fatality probability rate compared to people with no pre-existing conditions.
So make sure to stay safe, people, and let’s all work together to pull through this tough period together.
You can do your part as a responsible citizen through helping out in contact tracing by downloading the TraceTogether app.
In the meantime, keep yourself updated by bookmarking MOH’s website here and registering for the Gov.sg’s WhatsApp service here.
And remember to go see a doctor the moment you feel there’s something wrong with you, yeah? Don’t be like the SingPost worker.
