SINGAPORE: Pregnant women and infants aged three months to below one year old who test positive for COVID-19 will be able to recover by themselves at home under Protocol 2 from Oct 25.
This is because the risk of severe COVID-19 in these two groups is low, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Saturday (Oct 16).
“In view of the low risk, patients from these two groups can be managed as Protocol 2 by default, for self-recovery at home or under the care of their own primary doctors,” said the ministry.
Currently, COVID-19 patients aged between three months and one year old, as well as women who are less than 36 weeks pregnant, follow Protocol 1, where MOH will check on their recovery.
For higher-risk individuals, they are also required to do both an antigen rapid test (ART) and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
If assessed to be suitable, patients from these two groups may be allowed to recover under the home recovery programme but if not, they will be taken to a care facility.
Most of Singapore’s new COVID-19 infections are Protocol 2 cases, which are those who are well or assessed to have a mild condition.
In shifting these two groups to Protocol 2, which allows for self-recovery, MOH said these patients should continue to monitor themselves closely for signs and symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain or a persistent fever of above 38 degree Celsius while recovering at home.
“If signs and symptoms worsen, they should seek medical attention,” the ministry said.
EMPLOYERS SHOULD NOT REQUIRE MCs
To relieve the load on general practitioner clinics and polyclinics, MOH reminded employers not to require medical certificates from employees who have either self-tested positive for COVID-19 or have symptoms of acute respiratory infection.
This is to avoid patients with mild or no symptoms making unnecessary visits to GP clinics, which would compromise the standard of care for other patients who require medical attention, the ministry said.
MOH added that those who are well should be allowed to work from home if they are able to do so, and encouraged those with mild flu-like symptoms to consider teleconsultation with their doctors.