SINGAPORE (May 19): Over 281,000 Covid-19 tests have been performed on 191,000 individuals in Singapore, giving it a test rate of 49,000 tests per million people.
The city state is now looking to expand its testing capacity in preparation for phase one of its reopening which will take effect from Jun 2, said the Health Ministry’s director for medical services, Kenneth Mak.
See: Singapore prepares for a 'new normal' after Jun 1 with a three phase approach
"We continue to expand our test capacity and we remain committed towards performing the tests needed for the various strategies that we put in place, to return people to work [and] back into the community safely, to ensure that the risk of spread remains under control,” he noted at a press conference on Tuesday.
He added that the republic is exploring new methodologies, especially in detecting situations where the risk of spread remains low.
Presently, some 8,000 Covid-19 tests are performed daily in Singapore, but there are plans to increase this number to 40,000, the Covid-19 multi-ministry taskforce said.
"Not too long ago, we were testing 2,000 tests a day. Today we're doing 8,000 a day. Our plans to ramp up that capacity, test kits, personnel, laboratories, remain on track," noted National Development Minister Lawrence Wong.
"We're today already testing at a rate that's among the highest in the world, and we want to do even more beyond this. As we reopen the economy, as we resume activities, testing capability and testing capacity will be a critical enabler for us to do all of these things safely."
Aside from enhanced testing to detect Covid-19 infections, Singapore is calling for global solidarity as it looks to ease its circuit breaker measures from Jun 2.
"Each [country] faces different challenges and adopts a different strategy to fight the pandemic, but all with the same goal of keeping their people safe,” noted Health Minister and chairman of the Covid-19 multi-ministry taskforce, Gan Kim Yong at a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting on Monday.
“I hope we can learn from each other and cooperate with one another as we fight the pandemic. This is a challenge that no single country can succeed on its own."
