As Southeast Asia struggles to contain a Covid-19 resurgence, Singapore has so far avoided the harsh fate of neighboring nations that have fallen ill to second waves of infection far deadlier than the first. But the island nation is determined not to become a victim of its virus-curbing success.
Nearly three weeks since re-imposing lockdown-like conditions to arrest its largest Covid-19 community outbreak in months, daily infections in the city-state are only a fraction of those recorded in neighboring countries, even though all four variants of concern (VOCs) have been detected locally.
To mount a stronger defense against the more contagious strains, including those first identified in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil and India, the island nation has recalibrated its vaccine strategy to prioritize first dosage so that a wider segment of the population receives immune benefits more quickly.
It has also opened up its vaccination program to adolescents and teenagers before completing inoculations of adults, making it one of the first countries in the world to do so. Around one-quarter of the population has been fully vaccinated so far, more than almost anywhere else in Asia, where Covid-19 vaccination campaigns have been sluggish.
Read the full story at Asia Times.
Nile Bowie is a journalist and correspondent with the Asia Times covering current affairs in Singapore and Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com.
