ChiefKiasu\" post_id=\"2057062\" time=\"1643333883\" user_id=\"3:

I'm just curious. When we buy trash bags, are we not adding to the recycling problem too? What is so different about the material used to make trash bags and grocery bags? How are we \"saving the environment\" by buying trash bags instead of reusing grocery bags?

And what about the plastics used by retailers to bound their ham and other meats together. How recyclable are those materials?

What bugs me about the whole thing is the hypocrisy. When supermarkets charge us for bags, it goes right into their profits. Maybe the government will claw it back from them in the form of some \"recycle\" tax. I don't know. But simply saying \"Use your own bags instead of my plastic bags\" needs a lot more work.

When supermarket charges for plastic bags, people will simply take less or use recycle bags. But then without the grocery bags they get, they may also not bag their rubbish. In our grandparents' era, people simply throw food wastes direct into the dustbin and rinse the container it with water. The result will be more cockroaches and rats around bin centers and perhaps people living on low floors. Not everyone is going to buy trash bags to bag their garbages if in the first place, they are unwilling to pay for the plastics bags.

This campaign against plastic is going overboard in my opinion. Take the straw example, they simply remove straws from everywhere (Yakult, KFC, McDonalds etc) without a \"proposed solution\" for children. I do not care if they reject giving straws for adults (these people can perfectly managed without a straw). But they did the same with young children. Not every young children are at the stage of being capable of drinking from a cup without a straw and they claim they cannot give out straws to children because of \"environmental friendly\" policy.

We lived in a society today where many decision makers just \"talk and do without thinking\". Like the push to phase out fossil fuel and replace it with solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear etc so called sustainable energy. While I can agree that solar, wind and geothermal are sustainable energy, they are also unreliable and may not generate sufficiently when you need it most (i.e. winter time). So that leaves us with nuclear. But which \"smart arse\" even thinks nuclear is \"clean'. Maybe we should send that \"smart arse\" to live in Chernobyl or Fukushima for 10 years and see if he become \"teenage mutant ninja turtle\" and stand by his belief that \"nuclear\" is clean energy by then. Without energy reliability, we do not have energy security and that is a matter of \"life and death\" during winter time.

https://fortune.com/2021/09/16/the-u-k-went-all-in-on-wind-power-never-imaging-it-would-one-day-stop-blowing/

slmkhoo\" post_id=\"2057263\" time=\"1643538742\" user_id=\"28674:

Not sure about efficacy if you do that. In fact, as the concentration of virus could be higher, it might be more likely to be positive! So it's good it gave negatives. Next time, if there is a next time, you could call the manufacturer and ask for a replacement.

I don't see any problem with improvisation as long as you get enough \"drops\" for the test kit. If the \"drops\" are insufficient, then the chromatography in the test kit may be incomplete due to insufficent liquid to wet the entire strips to show the \"C\" and the \"T\" result for a complete test.

Ultimately, covid-19 is endemic and let's treat it as such.

ChiefKiasu\" post_id=\"2053885\" time=\"1640756769\" user_id=\"3:

@sk8jack, we have removed your post as there has been complaints that the post only serves to frighten people. For context, the post listed 32 cases, of mostly teenagers from the VAERS database which is owned by National Vaccine Information Centre of the US. The teenagers purportedly died after being administered the Pfizer vaccine. There was also a baby who was thought to have died \"because it drank breast milk of the mother\" who just happened to have the Pfizer vaccine.

The fact is, even though the cases are true, you only listed 32 cases. While it may seem to be a lot of deaths, that is against a population of 332 million people. Even if you consider only teenagers between 12-19, there's 42 million of them. At least https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/27/us/adolescents-covid-vaccine-shot.html has already been vaccinated, which is 21 million. For comparison, Singapore's population is 6 million.

32 cases out of 21 million? I'll leave it to the reader to think whether it is significant.

It is indeed true that on a risk-benefit consideration, 32 out of 21 million is insignificant by comparison.

That said, unless a post contain unverifiable or false information, I am also against removing a post just because it goes against a prevailing narrative. We should trust reader can read, decipher and decide on a best course of action for themselves. Censoring alternative views without falsehoods creates an public perception of censorship and propaganda, that reduces trust in a society. A better approach will be to response to the post with your perspective on why you disagree.

Just take a look at US. The level of distrust in the country is currently very high and this is because nobody trust the media anymore. The media in US started to behave in a partisan manner and once that happens, people just see them as propaganda outlets that is not to be trusted. Even the \"fact checker\" in US is distrusted because of different standards they applied in fact checking republicans and democrats. US become a great nation because they are a melting pot for all cultures, not because they \"cancelled\" views that goes against their narratives like what the wokes are doing now.

Society will be worst off for it if we stopped been able to \"agree to disagree\".

Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=\"2042682\" time=\"1634467179\" user_id=\"195250:[quote=\"Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=2042682 time=1634467179 user_id=195250]
Is Dr Yuen's death preventable if he completed 2 dorsed of vaccination instead of just 1 dorse only?[/quote]

Then you should also ask if there is any valid reason why Dr Yuen have only completed one out of two doses. Dr Yuen is definitely not an anti-vaxxer, else why will he have taken a dose. And whether he have completed 2 doses or not, our healthcare system still have a duty of care to ensure a person of a given risk profile is given adequate healthcare support.

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2042670\" time=\"1634455952\" user_id=\"17023:

For people like Dr Yuen, who just passed away due to COVID complications at the age of 65yo, I would think he could have lived past 85yo easily given his clean bill of health (and careful living). It was as if his life got shortened by a good 20 years.

OYK only mentioned about ICU beds. Nothing was mentioned if we are going do something when the COVID death rate hits X number daily. Like it or not, there’s still a direct link between the number of daily new cases and the death rate which’s also growing at an exponential rate.

Agree. From the recount of his ex-domestic worker, it seems like Dr Yuen falls ill from covid on Monday, see a GP on Tuesday and got his medicine, then stay home to quarantine. Two days later on Thursday 07 Oct, Dr Yuen seems to have already become \"confused\", possibly due to low oxygen saturation triggered by covid-19 infection. That is what caused them to call the ambulance who send Dr Yuen to the hospital and he got admitted to ICU on the same day due to low oxygen saturation. Dr Yuen passed on just two days later on 09 Oct.

Dr Yuen is a medical doctor and even he did not catch the signs of possible escalation in severity of his own symptoms.

Some valid questions are: Is Dr Yuen's death preventable if he has been warded for observation upon diagnosis given his risk profile (i.e. partially vaccinated and above 64 years old)? Is enough medical assistance and follow up provided to patients on home recovery scheme, giving them the best shot at survival rather than leaving them to their own fate in order to \"protect the healthcare system\" that is not yet tuned to the \"endemic state\".

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/hes-father-us-late-doctor-paid-education-maid-her-daughter-they-now-work-his-clinic

starlight1968sg\" post_id=\"2042640\" time=\"1634447001\" user_id=\"14025:

Is counting only PCR positive cases correct to reflect the covid situation in Singapore?

Correct or not is up to each's interpretation. But virus do not care about all the politics that human play. The result will be clearly shown in the death toll and that is the number that finally matters. Death toll however is a lagging indicator.

I have expected the number to fall but then increase later, abeit at a slower rate (i.e. due to change in methodology that redefines how cases are recorded), given that we start to exclude people who are ART-positive but mild and do not required PCR test for them. The slightly lower number we see this week compared to last week may not reflect a success in our SMM efforts. Rather it may largely be due to change in methodology of how we record cases.

Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=\"2042522\" time=\"1634362277\" user_id=\"195250:[quote=\"Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=2042522 time=1634362277 user_id=195250]
Will there be any harm on your body if you take the booster today?[/quote]

Let's put it this way. The risk-benefit ratio do not favor taking the boaster dose.

I am not convinced to take a dose of vaccine when there is no clear benefits for me (i.e. I am not the at risk group defined by US FDA and science supports that the 2-dose regime remains effective in preventing severe illness) while at the same time there remains a rare risk of triggering conditions like myocarditis.

ChiefKiasu\" post_id=\"2042503\" time=\"1634359032\" user_id=\"3:

Absolutely correct. It's not just about depending on the vaccine. Most important is that you keep exercising everyday or at least regularly. Vitamins are nice too, but you must EXERCISE.

You're right. Ultimately the war will be fought between our immune system and the covid-19 virus. The vaccine is not doing anything except to prime your immune system to recognise the virus and produce the required antibodies against it early. That has already been achieved in the two-doses regime that many of us have already taken. And our immune system have memory B-cells and T-cells that will fight future infections, even if antibodies level have waned since our second dose. Science also showed protection against severe disease is still effective.

Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=\"2042492\" time=\"1634354926\" user_id=\"195250:[quote=\"Liew Nga Wing\" post_id=2042492 time=1634354926 user_id=195250]

Cannot understand why people don't want to take in the booster shot when they can now just walk in to take it. I got the booster immediately when I was able to get it, never care whether there is already six months from the last dorse or not. The vaccination protection is not a passport, it is the only way to protect ourselves from Covid 19 infection. How can we take it as passport not expiry yet!!

Whether you are going overseas or not, under the present spike of Covid 19 cases in Singapore, everyone has certain chances of getting Covid 19 infection and why not to take the booster fast to better protect yourself from developing severe symptoms.

Just think of our essential sector workers, they work so hard every day to save Singaporeans life and you even don't want to help them by taking the booster fast to better protect yourself.

There is no symptoms after taking the booster even my arm was not pain this time.....no fever....could play board games until midnight and go office to work on the same day.[/quote]

The current science do not support the necessity of boaster shots if the intention is to reduce severity of disease in normal persons with no at risk profile. In fact, US FDA is recommended for only at risk persons, defined as (a) individuals above 64 years old; (b) those 18 to 64 with risk factors for severe Covid-19, and (c) those whose jobs put them at high risk for serious complications of Covid-19, such as health care workers.

And the vaccine does not prevent infection nor transmission of disease. If it is just about severity, the current data shows the two-dose regime more than suffice given my risk profile. Will reject taking the boaster until there is unequivocal scientific evidence produced by scientists worldwide on the need for it.

I rather trust the science than the politicians on this matter.

https://www.statnews.com/2021/10/14/fda-advisory-panel-unanimously-endorses-modernas-covid-vaccine-booster-for-some-groups/

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-authorizes-booster-dose-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-certain-populations

lee_yl\" post_id=\"2042392\" time=\"1634279555\" user_id=\"17023:

Because the two who passed on yesterday were very young! And the public is getting very concerned as this is a deviation from the norm of seniors passing on

The government is not sensitive to the ground. Some people out there are speculating whether the two young person passed on at home due to Home Recovery.

And don’t blame the people about speculating because in the first place, the information is wholly lacking. The government needs to over-communicate to rebuild the trust with the population after its series of faux pas.

I don’t see why we should look upon UK-NHS as an example given how UK fumbled so badly in its covid response not to mention the shambles from Brexit.

There is a lot of speculation out there because MOH's graph yesterday showed there is nobody in the 19-39yo age group admitted into ICU for period between 12 Oct and 14 Oct. But the two young person's deaths is recorded on 13 Oct and 14 Oct respectively and that got some people puzzled. The valid question being asked is how did the health of the two \"young people\" go downhill so fast without going first into the ICU if they are closely monitored in the hospital. Are they under the \"Home Recovery Scheme\" and they get to the hospital too late because they failed to interpret the severity of their developing symptoms correctly.

If they are on home recovery scheme, are their deaths preventable then. Are there shortfalls that government must close for home recovery protocol. All these are valid questions that must be asked.

That is why I always emphasize that during a crisis, there must be information transparency. Any shortfall will always give room for distrust to grow and conspiracy theories to thrive.

https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/update-on-local-covid-19-situation-%2814-oct-2021%29

On related note, take a look at a report regarding the good doctor who passed away from covid-19 on 09 Oct 2021. Based on the story, when the good doctor tested positive, he get medicine from a GP and quarantined himself at home. However even the doctor himself did not realise the severity of his own symptoms as it develops or he may be too confused to do so as a result of the low oxygen saturation affecting his brain functions. His former domestic helper and her daughter is the one raising the alarm and called the ambulance and the doctor is admitted into ICU on the same day due to low oxygen saturation.

The reasonable question is thus how can \"ordinary people\" be expected to exercise good judgement on whether a symptoms is mild or severe. When is the tipping point for those on home recovery to consider raising an alarm at developing symptoms. Can telemedicine really help when it is only via a screen and doctors have no way of doing a physical examination and the patient must first initiate the call-in to telemedicine. Using the above example, the patient may himself/herself be too \"confused\" to do so due to the effects of low oxygen saturation caused by covid-19 infection. Not everyone with low oxygen saturation will feel breathless until when it is too late.

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/hes-father-us-late-doctor-paid-education-maid-her-daughter-they-now-work-his-clinic