Turning to COVID-19, Mr Wong said Singapore is not out of the woods yet, with the country currently in the midst of a new wave of infections due to the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
While most of the cases are not so severe and hospital capacity is still holding up, Mr Wong warned that there will be new mutations that may be more aggressive and dangerous than Omicron.
“We cannot afford to let our guard down,” he said.
During his speech, he thanked the public service for their exemplary work in Singapore’s fight against COVID-19.
“In our darkest hours, I have always been able to draw strength from all of our public service officers,” he said. “I have met many of you over the last two years, especially those who have been working on the frontlines of COVID-19.”
“I have seen many fatigued and tired officers, but you never gave up, and you kept on fighting. You have shown true grit, commitment and dedication in responding to the call of duty and service,” he added.
Mr Wong cited the example of how the Community Care Facility at EXPO was set up in less than a month to deal with the surge in cases in April 2020.
The Ministry of Health, together with numerous private and public sector partners, managed to convert all 10 halls at the EXPO into a Community Care Facility, providing an 8,500 additional beds.
This was almost as many beds as all of Singapore’s hospitals combined, said Mr Wong.
“By the end of 2020, the (Community Care Facility) at the EXPO had provided care to more than 34,000 patients – and in doing so, it freed up precious resources in our hospitals for serious COVID cases.”
This is just one example of the many inspiring stories across the public service, said Mr Wong highlighting the thousands of officers who were deployed at worker dormitories to look after migrant workers as well as those charged with setting up quarantine spaces to get stay-home notice hotels ready for returning Singaporeans and travellers.
He also highlighted those who ran round-the-clock operations at Singapore’s borders and checkpoints, hospitals and vaccination centres across the island, and those who helped to implement and enforce safe management measures.