Two months to end of 2021

Two more months before we bid farewell to 2021. What has happened in 2021 so far?

2020 is the Year of Covid-19 with Circuit Breaker and closures of country borders. Many activities and festivals were stopped. We reduced social gatherings among family members and friends. Social distancing and mask wearing were mandated to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Our lives were disrupted.

2021 began with the hope of Covid-19 vaccinations. Covid-19 vaccination is the lifeline against this coronavirus. 84% of Singapore population has received two doses of vaccines so far whilst 15% has received boosters.

We thought that vaccination would get us out of the miseries experienced in last year. But the Delta Variant strain of the virus surfaced in India. India’s daily infection cases crossed 400,000 with over 4,000 deaths in a day in May 2021.

Delta variant spread to Singapore soon after in June. This highly transmissible variant resulted in a serious September/October wave of daily infections and more deaths not seen in 2020.

Singapore went into Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) again on 22 July 2021 with social gathering group size limited to 2.

Singapore entered the Stabilisation Phase on 27 September to slow the rate of transmission and protect Singapore healthcare system. The Stabilisation Phase was extended from 25 October through 21 November 2021. Social gathering group size limited to 2 from 5.

We are now in the current extended period of the Stabilisation Phase.

I look at countries opening up for travellers to enter their borders with much envy. Movement restrictions are slowly relaxed for their populations. This is because these countries have a high rate of vaccination. Yet in Singapore where our vaccination rate is among the highest in the world, we see restrictions still in place. It is an irony.

One reason is that we are seeing more deaths in seniors (whether vaccinated or not) because of Covid-19.

Another irony is that Singapore has one of the lowest deaths per 100,000 population in the world and yet we are not so free as other countries that are opening up.

What can we do?

To defeat this Covid-19 coronavirus, there must be unity in the people. The weakest link in this fight is the total disregard of some people towards Covid-19. They do not care whether they are spreading the virus.

If everyone is socially responsible, Covid-19 cannot get us. Look out for each other and care for each other. Spread the truths instead of falsehoods about the virus.

It has been nearly two years since Covid-19 first surfaced in China in late December 2019. We are still grappling with it with so much mental anguish. When will it end with lifted restrictions?