Singapore, having lived through several waves of Covid-19, can afford to be"quietly optimistic", especially since vaccination coverage is high and mask-on rules are still in place, he added.
Even so, it needs to shore up its defences. Apart from making sure that all healthcare facilities can handle Covid-19 patients, the country also needs to make more hospital beds available, in case pressure builds up again.First, hospitals have rolled out home care services, freeing up beds while allowing people to receive care in their own homes.
Second, many long-term hospital patients are waiting for places in nursing homes. If Singapore can ramp up the number of nursing home beds, these patients can be moved there.These facilities were set up last year to take in elderly Covid-19 patients who required closer monitoring but were otherwise in stable medical condition.Now, they must be redesigned to take in any patient who does not require the acute care that a hospital provides, regardless of their illness, he said.
Singapore must also focus on convincing eligible seniors aged 60 and above to get their booster shots, Mr Ong said. Around 12 per cent of people in this age group have not yet done so. "This is the group that's most vulnerable, and I think we need to focus on getting them vaccinated with their third shot."