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To effectively fight off SARS-CoV-2, the immune system depends on both antibodies and T cells, a type of white blood cell, which work together to eradicate the virus. However, little was known about virus-specific T cells in asymptomatic patients. We now know that many people are getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 without realising it, as they stay healthy and don t develop any symptoms. These asymptomatic infections may provide the key to understanding how the immune system can control the virus without triggering pathological processes, explained Dr Nina Le Bert, Senior Research Fellow at the Duke-NUS Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) Programme and the co-author of this study.
Once the vast majority of the population is protected against Covid-19, Singapore should be able to fully open its borders, and life can start returning to normal.
But that can happen only if everyone who is eligible gets vaccinated.
The question is: Will all such people be willing to get inoculated?
If significant numbers don t, it can jeopardise the entire programme.
This is because eligible people who do not get vaccinated not only put themselves at risk - which we can argue is their choice - but will also endanger children and those who, for medical reasons, are not suitable for the vaccine.
February 17, 2021
Prof Saw donated $30 million to establish the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health in 2011
NUS
SINGAPORE - Leading Singaporean philanthropist and statistics expert Professor Saw Swee Hock, died on Tuesday (Feb 16) at the age of 89.
During his lifetime, Prof Saw donated generously to institutes of higher learning, most notably to the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the London School of Economics (LSE).
The Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health in NUS, which has been at the forefront of Covid-19 research in the Republic, was named after him.
Paying tribute to him, NUS president Professor Tan Eng Chye said on Tuesday: Professor Saw Swee Hock was a close friend of NUS, and we are profoundly grateful for his contributions to the university in so many ways - as an academic, an educator, a benefactor, and a member of our board of trustees.
February 13, 2021
Happier times: people dance at Singapore’s Zouk nightclub in 2016.
Handout
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Zouk, one of Singapore’s oldest and most elaborate nightspots, easily attracted at least 3,000 partygoers a night. Now it sees only 150 patrons every evening and has had to transform parts of its 31,000 square feet complex into a restaurant, spin studio and cinema.
“We used to make more money in one night than we make in a month now,” said Andrew Li, the chief executive of Zouk Group. Revenue nosedived by over 85 per cent, he told
This Week In Asia, meaning he had to cut 25 per cent of his staff, with more cuts possibly on the cards.
February 12, 2021
People in Chinatown on Jan 25. Concerned that too much mingling could lead to Covid-19 clusters forming and spreading rapidly, the Government has put new rules in place to minimise this as people get ready to mark Chinese New Year.
The Straits Times
SINGAPORE - The Chinese in Singapore are all set to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year, while others are looking forward to a long weekend.
Concerned that too much mingling could lead to Covid-19 clusters forming and spreading rapidly, the Government has put new rules in place to minimise this. For example, households can have no more than eight visitors a day.