The second factor that cannot be controlled is what is happening in the world around us.
Like Singapore, many countries around the world are trying to transition to “living with the virus”, but the incidence of COVID-19 and its burden still weigh heavily on some of them.
With travel opening more freely, either due to trade or tourism, the virus is still very much circulating around the world and could easily cause another big outbreak. This is where constant vigilance in terms of testing, contact tracing and making sure our healthcare capacity both in manpower and facilities is always ready to respond.
To prepare ourselves against the effects of what is happening around the region and the world, we must continue to invest in enhancing regional and global health security.
In fact, the question we should be asking is not really whether we should be worried about the latest rising number of cases, but instead “How much have we done to prepare against future outbreaks?”.
Together with a strong healthcare system, high vaccination rates and a robust toolkit of public health measures, Singapore is in a much better place than when the pandemic started. But we must continue to be vigilant and build on these successes, so we continue to be safe from the devastating effects of the disease.
Dr Khoo Yoong Khean is a Scientific Officer at the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute and the Duke-NUS Centre for Outbreak Preparedness.