SAF has achieved ‘herd immunity’ through COVID-19 vaccinations; IPPT, in-camp training resume: Ng Eng Hen

[Huat Zai]

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) have achieved “herd immunity” against COVID-19, with more than 90 per cent of personnel having received their first dose of the vaccine. 

“In a week or so, more than 90 per cent would have received their second dose. That is quite satisfactory, it means that the SAF has achieved herd immunity,” Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen told reporters on Monday (Jun 28) ahead of SAF Day on Thursday.

 

MINDEF said in a separate factsheet that 92 per cent will be fully vaccinated by the second week of July.

“But we are still trying to push it to try to hit 95 per cent, which is a very high vaccination rate, and even up to (achieving) full vaccinations,” said Dr Ng.

 

This comes as the SAF prepares to live with an endemic COVID-19 and further reduce disruptions to National Service activities even if a soldier tests positive.

In an endemic situation, safety measures taken would be “much less” than in an epidemic, Dr Ng noted.

“So even if infections arise in our soldiers going forward, we will not need to close the training schools like Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC), Officer Cadet School or Specialist Cadet School,” he added.

 

In the interview to mark SAF Day on Thursday, Dr Ng highlighted that the number of COVID-19 cases in the SAF remains “very low”, with the majority getting infected outside the SAF.

The virus has not spread internally among second-degree contacts to form large clusters in the SAF, Dr Ng said.

“We have been able to detect cases early and with the various measures, we have not had to shut down because of cases detected, even from infections outside,” he added.

“And apart from the circuit breaker when we pre-emptively delayed the BMT, we have not had to disrupt any major training, or any training in fact.”

FEWER DISRUPTIONS EXPECTED

With more personnel being vaccinated, Dr Ng expects fewer disruptions to activities like in-camp training (ICT) and the individual physical proficiency test (IPPT).

More large-scale and overseas exercises can progressively resume as well.

“Because we have reached such high levels of vaccination, restrictions can be eased to allow units to operate at maximum effectiveness, even for training and exercises, and for in-camp training where the majority of personnel are vaccinated,” Dr Ng explained.

ICT and NS fitness activities, including IPPT and the NS Fitness Improvement Training, have resumed from Monday, Dr Ng said.

The SAF had on May 18 deferred non-essential ICT and IPPT amid a spike in COVID-19 community cases.

 

Moving on to overseas exercises, Dr Ng confirmed that the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Army will conduct Exercise Forging Sabre, an integrated live-firing exercise, in the US in September.

As for Exercise Wallaby in Australia, SAF’s largest overseas training exercise, Dr Ng said Singapore has to wait for the green light from authorities there.

“As you know in Australia, various cities are in lockdown, so I do not see us exercising there soon in full capacity,” he said. “Maybe not this year, but the moment they say yes to us, we are ready to exercise.”

Other overseas exercises “on the cards” include Exercise Cooperation and Exercise Maritime Cooperation with China’s People’s Liberation Army and People’s Liberation Army-Navy, Dr Ng said.

 

VACCINATION, TESTING AND COHORTING

In an environment where COVID-19 is endemic, the SAF will move forward with a “three-pronged strategy” of vaccination, improved testing and surveillance, as well as cohorting, said MINDEF.

Routine testing is already being done for SAF frontline personnel, BMT trainers and operationally ready national servicemen returning for ICT. The SAF is also looking at faster and less invasive methods like deep-throat saliva rapid tests.

Soldiers will also continue to cohort - or train in smaller, separate groups - without intermingling. This removes the need to shut down entire units when COVID-19 cases emerge.

“If nationally, the vaccination rates go up and we move towards the kind of situation that we dealt with H1N1, then you can reduce some of that cohorting as well,” Dr Ng said.

 

 

H1N1 has infected hundreds of thousands of people in Singapore with 18 deaths since the first case was reported in 2009, meaning it could be more infectious but less severe than COVID-19, Dr Ng said.

“So the main point for me bringing up this comparison to H1N1 is that when the disease does not cause morbidity and mortality, serious illness and deaths, you just live with it,” he added.

“We stopped contact tracing for H1N1. We did not chase the number of cases anymore. That is exactly what we did with H1N1. At this point, as more and more people get vaccinated for COVID-19, it brings us to the H1N1 situation.”

 

Still, Dr Ng acknowledged that the emergence of a more lethal and infectious coronavirus variant will be a concern, calling the situation an “entirely new ballgame”.

“It will be a miserable few years trying to deal with it because it will mean that we have to wait for a new vaccine, a better vaccine,” he said.

“That is not something we want to contemplate but if it happens, we have to deal with it.”

 

 

[Huat Zai]

Mediacock Jinx Countdown

 

 

Edited July 1, 2021 by Huat Zai

[XianGe]

Erm... Something dun fweel right

[Huat Zai]

1 minute ago, XianGe said:

Erm... Something dun fweel right

There isn't prove that herd immunity can be achieved in Covid, since we don't even know if the vaccine works. But Minister for Defence say achieved, no one can say otherwise.

[aaur4man]

no proof vaxx already won't kena covid period.

[XianGe]

13 minutes ago, Huat Zai said:

There isn't prove that herd immunity can be achieved in Covid, since we don't even know if the vaccine works. But Minister for Defence say achieved, no one can say otherwise.

 

60.1% believes him

[XianGe]

8 minutes ago, aaur4man said:

no proof vaxx already won't kena covid period.

 

Ya... Wtf he's talking... 

[socrates469bc]

1 hour ago, XianGe said:

Erm... Something dun fweel right

 

1 hour ago, Huat Zai said:

There isn't prove that herd immunity can be achieved in Covid, since we don't even know if the vaccine works. But Minister for Defence say achieved, no one can say otherwise.

 

1 hour ago, aaur4man said:

no proof vaxx already won't kena covid period.

 

since mod so confident and open his mouth alrdy, can ask him to do a controlled exposure testing on 1000 men to see if only 50 men gets infected and then ask the infected 50 men to do training with another 1000 men.

 

like this can see whether herd immunity is achieved bo.

[XianGe]

11 minutes ago, socrates469bc said:

 

 

 

since mod so confident and open his mouth alrdy, can ask him to do a controlled exposure testing on 1000 men to see if only 50 men gets infected and then ask the infected 50 men to do training with another 1000 men.

 

like this can see whether herd immunity is achieved bo.

Ya ask the general and colonel remove mask and walk little India + lucky plaza + NCID + quarantine hotel... Final test is take plane to abnnland...

[Huat Zai]

2 hours ago, socrates469bc said:

 

 

 

since mod so confident and open his mouth alrdy, can ask him to do a controlled exposure testing on 1000 men to see if only 50 men gets infected and then ask the infected 50 men to do training with another 1000 men.

 

like this can see whether herd immunity is achieved bo.

Stop sacrificing our youths to idiocy, we should just at an American CDC scientist to stand in his face and go

 

[Bigbird]

Propaganda to steer KGK toward vaccination again.  

 

Should just vaccine the death and probe up the % better!

[Huat Zai]

1 hour ago, Bigbird said:

Propaganda to steer KGK toward vaccination again.  

 

Should just vaccine the death and probe up the % better!

Don't mix "cured" figures with vaccined figure, later more "cured" and vaccined combined than Singaporeans how?

[XianGe]

The propganda machine on overdrive....

The white panties sarpot now using herd immunity freely to brainwash others we are safe from dangers... Tink sinkieland horsepeter will be full bery soon... 

[Cynical Ape]

Herd mentality, more like it.