COVID-19 | Omicron: The ‘viral Jason Bourne’ that can ‘overwhelm’ the world by spring, says infectious disease specialist Dr Leong Hoe Nam
Singapore — A well known infectious disease specialist in private practice predicts that the newly-discovered Omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 is likely to “overwhelm the whole world” by the first half of next year, if not sooner.
Dr Leong Hoe Nam, of Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, told CNBC on Wednesday (Dec 1) that the new variant of the coronavirus responsible for the pandemic is extremely good at dodging immune systems.
Singaporeans: Erosion of trust in political leadership after COVID-19 surge, public confidence in authorities to manage the pandemic falls 53%, new poll shows
Singapore — The surge of Covid-19 cases in recent months has had a drastic and negative impact on Singaporean’s trust in the authorities’ ability to manage the pandemic.
A new survey by the Institute of Policy Studies found that by the beginning of October, Singaporeans were much less satisfied with how the authorities were handling the serious surge of Covid-19 cases compared with the situation in August.
Xiaxue’s Sylvia Chan interview, the most-watched YouTube video in Singapore for 2021
Singapore — Social media influencer Xiaxue’s “exclusive” interview that “broke the silence” of Night Owl Cinematics (NOC) co-founder Sylvia Chan topped 2021’s list of most-watched non-music videos in Singapore.
YouTube released its “2021’s top trending videos and creators” list on Wednesday (Dec 1).
S’porean celebs fly away into the blue skies as VTL opens
Singapore — Singaporean celebrities have taken the opportunity to quickly escape to paradise and experience a new breath of fresh air in some of the most beautiful places on planet earth as soon as the VTL opened.
DJ Jade Rasif is first on our list to use the VTL. In a Facebook post dated Oct 29, the popular DJ shared a photo of herself enjoying fruits in Santorini.
Exclusion of Singapore from US democracy summit ‘not commentary on bilateral partnership’ — Top US diplomat
Singapore — A top United States official explained on Thursday (Dec 2) that the exclusion of Singapore and other nations such as Vietnam and Thailand from next week’s democracy summit does not mean the attendees will “sit in judgment” on those who are absent.
Singapore’s non-invitation is not a commentary on its partnership with the US, said Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink. He is currently on a visit to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.