Singapore’s million minister Lawrence Wong became a genetic biologist cum virus medical specialist overnight on Friday (Feb 14) after he declared that the Wuhan virus is “more like” H1N1 virus than the SARS.
None of his claims is backed by any evidence. Neither does any international medical authority dare make similar claims like he did.
The Minister of National Development with no medical background gave his medical insight to the Singapore state media:
“The Covid-19 virus is less severe and more infectious than severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) and is more similar to H1N1 in the way it is transmitted. It is less severe and more infectious than Sars. It is different from Sars. Because of the higher degree of infection, various experts have also projected that disease may well spread at a faster rate, closer to that of H1N1.”
Minister Lawrence Wong then denied that the virus is widespread in Singapore community despite the Ministry of Health being unable to identify the source of the infection behind various clusters and individual cases:
“While there has been no widespread community transmission of the virus in Singapore or any other country other than China.”
The PAP minister also said he will give up contact tracing when too many become infected:
“If indeed there is widespread community transmission but if 80 per cent are mild cases, as is the case today, we are unlikely to continue contact tracing every single individual — there are just so many to contact trace. We will move away from that strategy.”
Minister Lawrence Wong added that those who are infected does not need to be quarantined so long their conditions are “not serious”:
“Instead, we will look at patients who come forward and the majority, who have mild symptoms, can see the general practitioner, take necessary precautions, rest at home and recover in due course. And the ones who are severe, maybe 20 per cent or hopefully a smaller percentage, then they will need more specialised treatment and they should go to the hospital. And among this group an even smaller percentage may need more acute care.”