Responding to COVID-19: What can we learn from Singapore?
It’s been half a year ten days since I came to Singapore. One day ago, I just finished the first dose of the BNT vaccine. I must first say: Thank you Singapore government for taking care of our international students. Many thanks from me.
“Same as a small country, what are Singapore’s series of epidemic prevention and related supporting facilities worth learning from other countries?”
- An early start
Even before COVID-19 cases spiked to the thousands in Singapore, the search for suitable vaccine candidates had already begun. In April, EDB chairman Dr. Beh Swan Gin set up a therapeutics and vaccines expert panel (TxVax). There have been about 160 candidates to date, and the panel whittled that down to 35 after screening through technology type, track record, and the timeline of production.
After the final run of selecting, the reports have also said that Temasek is among the investors who have injected US$250 million (S$340 million) through private placement in German biotech firm BioNTech, which was developing a Covid-19 vaccine.
2. Supply chain of covid vaccine
Singapore can play a critical role in distributing vaccines to the region as an air cargo hub. Over the years, Changi Airport has built a strong track record in pharmaceutical handling by air, from serving Singapore’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.
1. Refrigeration equipment in OEM factories
2. Reconstruction and transformation of the original biotechnology plant equipment
3. Load of feasible vehicles in the domestic transportation process
The airport authority highlighted that the airport’s cargo handlers, dnata and SATS, have been investing in cold chain infrastructure and equipment over the years to support the transportation of temperature-controlled cargo.
3. All registration and data are processed online.
There is a system in Singapore called trace together. I don’t want to explain it anymore. Please check it yourself. When you go outside, you must scan the QR code at every place, so you will be notified only if the confirmed person crosses with you. No need to guess, squeeze in that person every day. I have been notified once, because someone who was confirmed to be in Sentosa’s play area on the same day as me, so during those two weeks, I hardly went out and paid attention to my physical condition, worrying that I could go directly to the screening.
Regarding the registration for vaccinations.
When PM Lee said in May, Singapore will give priority to the “student groups” to carry out the beating. Help students return to campus as soon as possible. My school’s SMU requires us to ensure that our system’s mobile phone number is correct because the MOH will send it directly to everyone, each with its own independent website, so that we can make an appointment directly online, when, where, and what brand, to complete the appointment of vaccine delivery. Everything is online, there is no mess, and there is no so-called county and city government to make a book, and then wait for the administration staff to notify this matter.
All processes are data cloudification.
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My hometown, Taiwan, is in a mess to deal with vaccine amount; however, I believe we could learn something from the best practice from Singapore’s series of epidemic prevention.
