Singapore – Ward 9D, an epicentre of the current Covid-19 outbreak, in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), is reopening from Saturday (May 22), with enhanced measures to protect patients and staff.
Ward 9C, another lockdown ward, will also accept admissions on Saturday, while wards 7D and 10B have already been opened for admissions, reported the Straits Times.
The hospital had announced on Tuesday that admission would be resumed after all inpatients got six round of swab and 12,000 staff got 2 rounds of testing with consistently negative results.
TTSH provided that the cause of transmission within the hospital is still under investigation.
A report, accepted by World Health Organisation and the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested a stronger transmission in some particular settings such as a closed environment with limited airflow and poor ventilation.
Singapore’s director of medical services Kenneth Mak had said on Tuesday that the possibility of airborne transmission in the hospital was taken into account.
TTSH has installed exhaust fans and portable Hepa filters in Ward 9D to create better ventilation and air purification to facilitate air change around six to 12 times per hour.
Ward 9D has a bed capacity of 40, divided into cubicles with an average of six beds per cubicles.
Dr Hoi Shu Yin, a chief nurse at TTSH, shared that each cubicle in the ward was equipped with exhaust fans to constantly replace the air in the cubicle.
Meanwhile, the portable Hepa filter would help to remove dust, pollen, mould and bacteria airborne.
Dr Hoi added that deep cleaning with ultraviolet and hydrogen peroxide vapour would be launch across the entire ward preparing for the reopening.
There would also be an increase in the frequency of inpatient wards cleaning from once a day to twice a day.
Associate Professor Bernard Thong said that routine testing would be launched every two weeks for those who have been vaccinated and once a week for those who have not.
The TTSH divisional chairman for medicine added that more than 80 per cent of the hospital’s staff have been vaccinated.
The hospital also increased the use of personal protection equipment (PPE), since the emergence of the cluster.
“In the inpatient setting, PPE includes the use of goggles, N95 masks, as well as gowns… on top of the usual hand hygiene measures which have been enforced during this period of time,” said Dr Thong.
The staff also divide into zones to avoid intermingling.
Upon the announcement of reopening, Minister of Health Ong Ye Kung also wrote a welcoming speech for TTSH expressing his best wish for all the staff.
Phuong Le Ha is an intern at The Independent SG/TISG
In a Facebook post on Friday morning (May 21), Madam Ho Ching, the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the chief executive officer of Temasek Holdings, suggested that mental illness or dementia may have caused the couple to behave in the way they did, and asked people not to jump to conclusions.
A nurse working atSengkang General Hospital shared a video of his neighbours constantly hurling vulgarities at his family members since May 2020. The latest incident was posted on the nurse’s personal Instagram account “jibby4g” showing that his child was afraid of the neighbours’ rude acts.
The nurse and his wife, who is also an essential services worker, were taunted and even had disinfectants sprayed on them by their next-door neighbours whenever they returned home.
“I am called obai, kanina, virus, dirty family and virus family and was sprayed with Dettol. Just so sad. What has my family ever done to you that we deserve this treatment from you guys?” the nurse wrote in his post.
The neighbours, Cheang Eng Hock, 56, and his wife Lim Sok Lay, 48, have since been charged by the police. Cheang faces two charges of intentionally causing harassment and Lim, five similar charges and one count of public nuisance.
They have also been accused of having used words against a man at Sengkang General Hospital earlier this year, on Jan 8, making remarks like “This nurse gangster”, “this nurse no good” and “this nurse very bad.”
CNA reports that the prosecution asked that Lim be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks for psychiatric assessment, which the judge ordered.
If the couple are found guilty of intentionally causing harassment, they could be fined as much as S$5000 or jailed for up to six months.
Mdm Ho shared the CNA report and wrote that she was surprised to learn about early-onset dementia, which can strike people who are only in their 50s.
Perhaps that is why Lim has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment.
“Oftentimes, folks with dementia can end up doing strange things in public, things they would not do normally,” Mdm Ho added.
“There are also folks with various mental or neurological issues.
“They hear voices, or they could see a lion sitting beside their bed.
“Some are aware that such apparitions or voices can’t be real.
“But others are not aware at all.
“They can imagine themselves to be Napoleon or some famous person, or they can imagine others to be some threat.
“Some folks with dementia become very mild and passive, in contrast with their youthful days of thunder and fury.
“Others become aggressive when they used to be mild, and many become paranoid, suspecting their family members or others of this or that.”
Mdm Ho ended her post by asking people not to be quick to judge but to “try to see if help is needed”.
India — Several states over the last 24 hours declared mucormycosis, a life-threatening viral infection in Covid-19 patients, a notifiable disease following the central government’s advisory on Thursday.
The Centre on Thursday wrote a letter to all the states and union territories asking to make mucormycosis or black fungus a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.
A notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. This allows the authorities to monitor the disease and provides early warning of possible outbreaks.
Mucormycosis is commonly seen in Covid-19 patients who are in the recovery phase of the disease. It usually infects people whose immune system has been compromised due to comorbidities such as diabetes, kidney or heart failure or cancer.
The symptoms of the fungal infection include blackening or discoloration over the nose, blurred or double vision, chest pain, breathing difficulties and coughing blood.
Here is the list of states that have declared mucormycosis a notifiable disease:
Telangana
Telangana was the first state to declare mucormycosis a notifiable disease. The state government gave the order on Thursday morning, hours before the Centre’s advisory.
Odisha
On the line of the Centre’s advisory, Odisha on Thursday declared black fungus a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
Karnataka
Karnataka health minister K Sudhakar on Thursday said no hospital or medical centre with the capacity to treat mucormycosis can deny admission to patients. He made the statement while declaring it a notifiable disease. An official government order wil also be notified soon, he also said.
Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Nadu government declared mucormycosis a notifiable disease under the Public Health Act. It has also constituted a 10-member committee, including the Director, Medical Education with medical experts to examine the disease and give a more clear picture.
Rajasthan
A notification for the same was issued by the state’s principal health secretary Akhil Arora. In a statement on Thursday, Arora said the step was taken to ensure integrated and coordinated treatment of black fungus and the coronavirus.
Rajasthan has around 100 black fungus patients as of May 19, according to state government data.
Gujarat
“Government and private hospitals/medical colleges treating the disease will have to follow guidelines by the Union Health Ministry as well as ICMR for screening, diagnosis & treatment,” said Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani as he passed the order.
India — The US House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to create a 9/11-style commission to look into the January 6 Capitol riot in Washington, DC.
As many as 35 Republicans supported the move, joining Democrats to hand former US president Donald Trump, a fellow Republican, a resounding rebuke by ignoring his appeal to reject such a panel.
The measure passed 252-175. It has to secure the support of the evenly split Senate where at least 10 Republicans will need to join Democrats to see it through.
Trump hit back at the Republicans who backed the move, calling them “35 wayward Republicans” who “just can’t help themselves”. He added, “We have much better policy and are much better for the country. But the Democrats stick together, the Republicans don’t.”
The legislation, negotiated by Democratic and Republican leaders of the House committee on homeland security, proposes to create a 10-member commission with five each from the two parties, who will have equal powers of issuing subpoenas.
Modelled on the commission that investigated the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, it will look into the storming of the US Capitol by a mob incited by Trump to prevent a joint session of Congress from certifying Joe Biden as winner of the 2020 election.
In the second volume of his biography, former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong revealed his soft spot for two former stalwarts of the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), the late Ong Teng Cheong and Mr Tan Cheng Bock, even though these two men opposed the PAP after leaving the party. In the book, Standing Tall, Mr Goh expressed warmth and admiration for these two men whom he called friends, in contrast to his dislike for opposition politicians Chee Soon Juan and Tang Liang Hong.
The book, which details Mr Goh’s tenure as Prime Minister from 1990 to 2004, hit the bookstores earlier in May. It is a sequel to the first volume, Tall Order, which covered Mr Goh’s youth, working life and earlier political career.
Ong Teng Cheong
In the book, Standing Tall, Goh spoke of the late Ong, “I will always remember him fondly as a friend, and respect his significant contributions to Singapore.”
Ong was Deputy Prime Minister from 1985 to 1993 and President from 1993 to 1999. During his tenure, the President’s role was mostly ceremonial, but he had the power to check the national reserves. Ong exercised that right, which put him at loggerheads with his former party and the civil service.
After Ong asked for information on the reserves, the Government stonewalled him for three years, he said in an interview with Asiaweek magazine on March 10, 2000.
“Yes, I was a bit grumpy. And maybe not to the liking of the civil service. They did not like what I said. But I have to be a watchdog all the time, you see,” Ong told the now-defunct Asiaweek.
“If they regard that as an attack on the Government and on the civil service, then that is for them to interpret,” Ong added.
Mr Goh knew Ong was frustrated in his job as President. Ong had complained to him and he tried to explain the bureaucrats’ actions, according to Standing Tall written by Peh Shing Huei, a former journalist of The Straits Times, Singapore’s main newspaper.
“The officials might have thought he was troublesome. But he was ‘troublesome’ in a good way. As the PM (Prime Minister), it did not bother me because he was testing this new system we had just constructed, and this was a good thing,” Mr Goh is quoted as saying in Standing Tall.
On July 16, 1999, Ong held a press conference announcing he would not seek another term as President and aired his problems in getting information on the state reserves, complaining some ministers and civil servants viewed him as a “nuisance”.
Mr Goh said he “certainly” never found Ong a nuisance, according to the book.
Two weeks after that press conference, on July 30, 1999, Ong’s wife, Ling Siew May, died of cancer. The Government decided she would have a private funeral, not a state funeral.
“I admit that it came across as petty and ungracious,” Mr Goh said.
After Ong died of cancer on February 8, 2002, the Government granted him a “state-assisted funeral”, which was lower in status than the state funerals accorded two other Singapore Presidents, SR Nathan and Wee Kim Wee. The discrepancy in the funerals drew attention, leading to letters to the mainstream media and a question filed in Parliament. The Government replied it was not feasible to set a formula for each President’s funeral.
“People are confused, some people are unhappy. I accept that,” Mr Goh admitted.
Lee Kuan Yew’s tribute to Ong on the latter’s death was telling. The tribute by Singapore’s first Prime Minister in February 2002 said, “Ong Teng Cheong’s greatest service to Singapore was as secretary-general of the NTUC (National Trades Union Congress).”
The late Lee’s statement that Ong’s greatest contribution was as leader of the national labour confederation, without mentioning Ong’s tenure as President, spoke volumes, indicating his displeasure at Ong’s Presidency.
Mr Goh said of Ong, “We were good friends, we had no problems personally. But in the eyes of the people, how was it that the President and the Government were having clashes? That is my regret.”
Tan Cheng Bock
Goh is also friends with another former PAP comrade, Mr Tan Cheng Bock. After 26 years as a PAP backbencher from 1980 to 2006, Mr Tan ran in the presidential elections in 2011 but narrowly lost to Mr Tony Tan. Mr Tan hoped to run for President again in 2017 but was blocked due to a new rule reserving the 2017 Presidency for Malays, paving the way for Madam Halimah Yacob, a Malay woman, to become Singapore’s current President.
“Cheng Bock was a close friend. I knew him from school and we had gone for holidays together,” Mr Goh told Mr Peh.
While Mr Goh supported Mr Tony Tan for President in the 2011 elections, Ms Goh’s wife voted for Mr Tan because she thought he was “more personable”, Mr Goh revealed, adding he did not influence his wife’s vote.
If Mr Tan Cheng Bock had run against Madam Halimah Yacob in the presidential election in 2017, he would have beaten her, because he lost to Mr Tony Tan in the 2011 election by only 7,000 votes, Mr Goh said.
Since Mr Tan Cheng Bock co-founded an opposition party, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), in 2019, Mr Goh practised “social and political distancing” with him, according to the book. Nonetheless, on March 27, Mr Goh posted on his Facebook a photograph of himself with Mr Tan in a reunion recalling the days when both were scouts in school.
If Singapore’s next-generation leaders cannot campaign successfully against Mr Tan Cheng Bock’s party, “then I worry over how they will be able to take on nasty opponents in future”, Mr Goh said.
“Whatever Tan Cheng Bock’s present political motives are, he is still a decent man and my friend, even if we do not see much of each other now,” he added.
Chee Soon Juan
In the second volume of his biography, Mr Goh had unflattering things to say about Mr Chee Soon Juan, the secretary-general of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).
Mr Chiam See Tong, a former leader of the SDP, was not as shrewd as Mr Low Thia Khiang, a former head of the Workers’ Party, Mr Goh recalled. “During the hustings, he (Chiam) proudly proclaimed that he had brought a well-qualified academic into his party. This candidate, Dr Chee Soon Juan, with a PhD in physiological psychology from the University of Georgia, boasted that he had ‘a good brain’.”
When Lee Kuan Yew read this in the newspapers, “he laughed”, Mr Goh disclosed.
“Chiam paid the price for his bad judgment of Chee. Chee subsequently outmanoeuvred him and kicked him out of the SDP,” he added.
Tang Liang Hong
During the general elections in 1997, Mr Goh accused Mr Tang Liang Hong, a Workers’ Party politician, of being a Chinese chauvinist, which Mr Tang denied. During that election, Mr Tang filed police reports alleging the PAP’s accusations against him could cause extremists to harm him and his family.
Shortly after the elections which Mr Tang lost, 11 PAP politicians including Mr Goh, Lee Kuan Yew, his son, Mr Lee Hsien Loong (the current Prime Minister), and Mr Tony Tan sued Tang for defamation, alleging he had questioned their integrity. Default judgements against him ultimately totalled S$3.63 million (US$2.72 million) in damages. In addition, the Inland Revenue Department pursued him for tax evasion. Later in 1997, Mr Tang fled Singapore for Australia, where he currently lives.
If Mr Tang had got into Parliament, he might have made divisive statements while protected by parliamentary privileges, Mr Goh said. “Tang Liang Hong, he was our main concern.”
Mr Peh cited Reluctant Editor, a book by a retired Singaporean editor, Mr PN Balji, which said the police reports filed by Tang were faxed to The New Paper, a Singaporean tabloid, which published them on its front page the next day. This high-profile coverage was used in the libel lawsuits against Mr Tang. Mr Goh told Mr Peh he did not transmit those police reports to The New Paper and never asked Lee Kuan Yew to do so.
Mr Peh then said, “But it must be LKY (Lee Kuan Yew).”
Goh answered, “That is your conclusion.”
Magnanimously, Mr Goh said if he was still Prime Minister, he would say to Mr Tang, come back anytime.
Thus, this book shows Mr Goh does not nurse long-standing vindictiveness against people who opposed him or his party, whether former party comrades or opposition politicians.
Toh Han Shih is chief analyst of Headland Intelligence, a Hong Kong risk consultancy.
Chen Sicheng and Tong Liya announced their divorce on Chinese Valentine's Day. Picture: YouTube
Couples exchange wedding vows, promising to love and cherish till death doth them part. But promises get broken. Chinese actor Chen Sicheng and actress Tong Liya just announced that they were getting a divorce. Despite the shocking news, some fans were delighted and commented that Tong Liya‘s decision was “long overdue”.
The announcement was made on May 20 via social media. Chen Sicheng uploaded photos of Tong Liya and their five-year-old son Duoduo, according toHype.my.
He captioned the photos: “From 2011 to 2020, the story ended. You will always be the ones I love the most, I will guard you with a different identity now.” Tong Liya responded: “I had a worthwhile time and am looking forward to the future. Thank you.”
Tong Liya and Chen Sicheng remained amicable despite their split. Picture: Weibo
The duo’s 10-year relationship appeared to have ended on a good note as they seemed to have parted amicably. The news was surprising as it is China’s unofficial Valentine’s Day. The date ‘520’ sounds similar to “I love you” in Mandarin. Nevertheless, fans cheered Tong Liyaon as the couple’s split has been long anticipated. Tong Liya andChen Sicheng met in 2011 and got married in 2014. Their marriage was smooth sailing but in 2017 it broke down when it was discovered that Chen Sichengwas having affairs with other women. Although Tong Liya forgave her husband, the two have finally decided to part ways.
“Congratulations on becoming single!” one comment read. “You are free to choose any fresh meat you want now.” Another jubilantly posted, “Congratulations to (Tong Liya)! I feel like breaking out the gongs and fireworks to celebrate.” Others chose to snub Chen Sicheng saying, “Tong Liya is finally free” and “People who are not loyal to (their) marriage will get retribution“.
Fortunately, the two did not part on bad terms although sometimes divorce can get messy, but Tong Liya and Chen Sicheng seem to have navigated their situation with grace. Here’s to Tong Liya‘s bravery as she faces a new chapter in her life, and to Chen’s opportunity for reflection and growth. /TISG
Singapore – A video of a senior dog being pulled around in a makeshift wheelchair by a woman out for a walk has gone viral online. She shared that “taking care of a dog is a lifetime affair”.
Local actor and getai singer Wang Lei, also known as Mai Yu Ge (fish selling bro) took to Facebook on Thursday (May 20) to share the heartwarming story of the woman and the fur baby.
According to him, the woman, who is one of his neighbours, takes the dog for a walk in a Do-It-Yourself wheelchair designed specifically for the pet.
The woman shared that the dog was approaching the end of his life as most of his body is shutting down. The dog also appears unable to stand up straight on his own.
The dog sits in the wheelchair dressed in a diaper and a Brazil No 10 jersey.
The woman said she takes the dog out every day.
When asked if she considered it a hassle, she replied, “Taking of a dog is a lifetime affair.”
In a separate post, the dog’s owner, the woman’s daughter, said dog owners should take their fur kids out for walks often because that is when they are happiest.
Wang Lei’s post about the woman and the dog has received over 18,000 likes and 3,300 shares.
Members of the online community were clearly touched by the woman’s effort to ensure the dog lived his life to the fullest.
“Thanks to Wang Lei for showing everyone here that to own a pet is a forever responsibility, we shouldn’t abandon any pet just because they are old or sick, rather it is during their most vulnerable times that we should treasure, love and care for their golden years,” added one Caryln Jnsy./TISG
NEW YORK — In the end, it seems that artificial blue light from smartphones, tablets and other screens may not be harmful to skin. A new scientific study suggests that artificial blue light only has a “negligible effect” on skin, unlike natural blue light from the sun, which the scientists consider to be “the actual danger,” potentially accelerating skin aging and increasing hyperpigmentation.
While artificial blue light is known to be bad for eyesight, its effects on skin have not yet been scientifically proven. Debates around the subject intensified, however, when the first Covid-related lockdowns led people to spend more time in front of screens of all kinds, from laptops to smartphones to tablets.
Helmed by chief scientist in photobiology, Ludger Kolbe, a research team at Beiersdorf AG – which specialises in sun protection and notably owns the Nivea brand – studied the question and concluded that “artificial blue light has negligible impact on human skin.”The studyclaims, for example, that spending an entire week uninterrupted in front of a monitor at a distance of 30cm from the screen would be equivalent to spending just one minute outside at midday on a sunny summer day in Hamburg, Germany.
“Public discourse has been characterised by a lack of knowledge and of scientific studies. But through our research activities, we’ve managed to prove that the amount of artificial blue light emitted during conventional use of electronic devices is nowhere near enough to trigger harmful skin effects,” explains Ludger Kolbe.
The study goes on to state that, compared to the emissions of the sun’s natural blue light, those of artificial blue light are virtually undetectable. And while time spent looking at screens -which has been on the up since the onset of the pandemic – may be bad for vision and sleep, as several studies have shown, it apparently has virtually no (or very little) impact on skin.
“The much-feared negative impact of increased screen use due to the coronavirus – for example, as a result of more online meetings or increased use of smartphones – is therefore scientifically untenable. The effect on the skin is negligible, which means concerns about negative impacts on the skin are unfounded,” continues Kolbe.
However, the study concludes that natural direct blue light from the sun’s rays “poses a very high risk for the skin,” arguing that this penetrates more deeply into skin and generates oxidative stress, thus accelerating skin aging and increasing hyperpigmentation. – ETX Studio
Singapore – A couple was charged in court for allegedly shouting abuse and spraying disinfectant at a nurse and his family for a year.
Cheang Eng Hock, 56, and his wife Lim Sok Lay, 48, are reported to have shouted “virus, virus” at a nurse and his family and sprayed disinfectant in the direction of their Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat in Punggol, the police said on Thursday (May 20).
Photo: Instagram screengrab/wakeupsingapore
The nurse, who works at Sengkang General Hospital, and his family were also called “Covid,” Covid spreader” and “virus family” by the couple.
According to a Channel News Asia report, the couple also uttered remarks like “This nurse gangster,” “this nurse no good”, and “this nurse very bad” on Jan 8, 2021.
The couple was charged in court on Friday (May 21) for various offences.
Cheang faced two charges of intentionally causing harassment and his wife, Lim, five similar charges and one count of public nuisance.
Lim was ordered by the judge to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for two weeks for psychiatric assessment as requested by the prosecution.
Meanwhile, Cheang was given a S$5,000 bail on the condition that he did not contact his neighbours or any of the prosecution’s witnesses, directly or indirectly.
The court heard that the nurse and his wife had attended mediation with the duo in June 2020. However, the frontline worker had filed more police reports on the alleged harassment between October 2020 and January 2021.
“We are aware of a video circulating online posted by one of our nurses on the behaviour of his neighbour,” noted Sengkang General Hospital in a Facebook post last year.
“SKH takes a serious view of this incident. Our medical personnel work hard to provide the care our patients need, especially during this time when the world is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“They deserve consideration, respect, and a safe environment both at work and at home so that they can continue giving their best,” the hospital said.
If convicted of intentionally causing harassment, the couple could be imprisoned for up to six months, fined up to S$5,000, or both per charge./TISG
BTS performs Butter, their new single. Picture: YouTube
Seoul — The Korean boy band BTS has made its much-awaited comeback. The group released its latest English-language single Butter together with the music video on May 21. Butter is a catchy dance pop track that begins with a captivating bass line and bright synth sound. It was produced by Rob Grimaldi, Stephen Kirk, and Ron Perry, and RM also participated in the song, according to Soompi.
BTS, also known as Bangtan Sonyeondan (Bangtan Boys) consists of seven members: RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. Their ages range from 23 to 28.
The boy band debuted under Big Hit Entertainment in Seoul in 2013. Each BTS member co-writes and co-produces his own music and the band’s music style includes a wide range of genres.
BTS released its debut single album 2 Cool 4 Skool in 2013 followed by the US Billboard 200 entries The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 2 (2015), The Most Beautiful Moment In Life: Young Forever (2016 and Wings (2016).Wings was the first BTS album to sell one million copies in South Korea.
In 2017, BTS gained popularity internationally, breaking records and was the first Korean group to receive a certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) with their single Mic Drop.
BTS is the first and only Korean act as of 2019 to top the US Billboard 200 with the studio album Love Yourself: Tear (2018) and has since hit the top of the US charts with the albums Love Yourself: Answer (2018) and Map of the Soul: Persona (2019), making BTS the first group since The Beatles to earn three number one albums in less than a year.
Love Yourself: Answer also broke South Korea’s Gaon Album Chart’s all-time monthly record previously set by Love Yourself: Tear and became the first Korean album certified gold in the United States.
In 2018, BTS had the second and third best-selling albums worldwide and was the second bestselling artiste worldwide. In 2019, Map of the Soul: Persona became the best-selling album in Korean history, and BTS became the best-selling artist in South Korea of all time, having sold over 14 million albums.
