Thread by @jburnmurdoch

Really interesting story from @mjruehl in Singapore (82% of population fully vaxxed), where the transition from Zero Covid to living with the virus is not going smoothly to say the least. on.ft.com/3maIJnW

Lots of lessons here for Australia, New Zealand and others

As @mjruehl writes, Singapore's problem stems from the interplay of two factors:
• A population that has become extremely nervous and worried about *any* Covid
• A policy of mass testing asymptomatic people, many of whom rush to hospital after a positive, even if symptom-free

The local reaction has been, as ever, polarised. Healthcare professionals have criticised the mass testing policy [given the context in which it's being rolled out], while 25% of the population want a return to lockdown, and there are petitions to reintroduce quarantine hotels.

The government has now reintroduced some restrictions, closing primary schools and limiting indoor dining and household mixing to two people.

My guess is in the medium-term (3-6 months) people will gradually grow less worried, but it's striking how much harder "learning to live with the virus" may prove to be in countries that have succeeded in only recently having to coexist with it.

FWIW I think both original goal of keeping Covid out, and new decision to reopen (82% of population fully vaxxed — among highest worldwide) are/were good decisions, but it's clear that the transition from A to B is very tricky, and communication/messaging will be a critical part.

(Side-note: it's worth noting that XX% vaxxed in Singapore, Aus, NZ etc is not the same as XX% vaxxed in European countries in terms of population immunity, since the latter also have a lot of naturally-acquired immunity)