Singapore to pilot home isolation for mildly ill COVID-19 patients from end of August
Singapore’s Ministry of Health said the country will pilot home isolation for people who are infected with coronavirus and have mild or no symptoms from August 30.
A dormitory for foreign workers in Singapore. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Singapore (VNA) – Singapore’s Ministry of Healthsaid the country will pilot home isolation for people who are infected withcoronavirus and have mild or no symptoms from August 30.
Speaking at a press conference on August 19, Health Minister Ong Ye Kungsaid the pilot is a crucial step in Singapore’s journey towards living withCOVID-19 as an endemic disease, the Straits Times reported.
Singapore currently has two layers of COVID-19 recovery care- hospitals, and community care facilities, he said, adding that the pilot aimsto add a third layer to allow patients with mild symptoms to recover at homeand free up resources and hospital beds.
However, to qualify for a home isolation scheme, thepatients and their family members must meet certain conditions. For example,everyone in their home must be fully vaccinated and must not belong to anyvulnerable groups such as pregnant women or the elderly.
The COVID-19 patients will be treated at a medical facilityfor a few days, then will be allowed to stay in isolation at home when the amount ofSARS-CoV-2 virus in the body decreases. In addition, all family members willhave to be quarantined at home until the infected person recovers.
The announcement comes as the number of daily COVID-19 casescontinues to decline steadily after tighter measures introduced last monthproved to be effective.
As of August 17, the country saw an average of 63 new casesa day in the past week, about half of the figure two weeks before.
On the same day, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singaporeannounced that the country will allow quarantine-free entry from next month totravelers from Germany and Brunei who are vaccinated against COVID-19, as partof a plan to gradually reopen its borders.
🧸 Border restrictionswill also be gradually eased for all visitors from the Chinese territories of Hong Kongand Macau from August 21, the agency said./.
Singapore will consider easing COVID-19 prevention rules for people who have been fully vaccinated if the outbreak is still under control and the hospitalisation rate in the country remains low, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on July 26.
Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong has called on businesses to help eligible employees get vaccinated, integrate the use of antigen rapid tests into work processes, and continue flexible work arrangements.
Singaporean researchers announced that they have found a combination of drugs that can be used to treat COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms.
The Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) on August 6 reported 10,623 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the Southeast Asian country to 1,638,345.
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As of August 9, 70 percent of Singapore’s population has been fully vaccinated, and 79 percent had received at least one dose, making it one of the countries with highest vaccination rates in the world.
Singapore’s Ministry of Health on August 18 announced that the country will give free COVID-19 vaccines to short-term pass holders who have been in Singapore for an extended period of time under the national vaccination programme.
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A dormitory for foreign workers in Singapore. (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
