Health Check

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book, detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores now. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/

In this third episode of six instalments, ST's executive editor Sumiko Tan tells the exclusive story of how the decision-makers in Singapore's Covid-19 "war room" managed the pandemic and why it decided to be as transparent as they could with the public.

Highlights (click/tap above): (Headphones recommended)

01:25 Singapore's then-Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on how he realised back in January 2020, that the new coronavirus outbreak was beyond the efforts of one ministry

03:53 How a high-powered group of civil servants led by permanent secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry - Mr Pang Kin Keong - worked to support the ministers

05:06 Mr Gan on why the multi-ministry task force (MTF) decided to be as transparent as possible about how it dealt with Covid-19

06:44 Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean on his role in creating a structure in how the crisis was managed

08:22 PM Lee Hsien Loong on the aim to be transparent, a chain of command, making decisions guided by data, and differing views in Cabinet

14:37 PM Lee reflects on painful national decisions, such as the closure of Changi Airport and Singapore's "circuit-breaker" lockdown in April 2020

19:50 PM Lee addresses a weary nation to explain the decision to move from a strategy of zero-Covid to living with Covid 

Produced by: Sumiko Tan ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Follow Singapore's War On Covid podcast series here:

Playlist: https://str.sg/wsfD

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wsPm

Spotify: https://str.sg/wsPs

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wsyN

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

Read Sumiko Tan's stories: https://str.sg/Jbhe 

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wsfD

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia Embed: https://str.sg/ws76

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wnBi

---

Discover more ST podcast series:

In Your Opinion Podcast: https://str.sg/w7Qt

SG Extra Podcast: https://str.sg/wX8w 

Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf

Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN

#PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#stcovidbook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book, detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores now. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/

In this third episode of six instalments, ST's executive editor Sumiko Tan tells the exclusive story of how the decision-makers in Singapore's Covid-19 "war room" managed the pandemic and why it decided to be as transparent as they could with the public.

Highlights (click/tap above): (Headphones recommended)

01:25 Singapore's then-Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on how he realised back in January 2020, that the new coronavirus outbreak was beyond the efforts of one ministry

03:53 How a high-powered group of civil servants led by permanent secretary of the Home Affairs Ministry - Mr Pang Kin Keong - worked to support the ministers

05:06 Mr Gan on why the multi-ministry task force (MTF) decided to be as transparent as possible about how it dealt with Covid-19

06:44 Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean on his role in creating a structure in how the crisis was managed

08:22 PM Lee Hsien Loong on the aim to be transparent, a chain of command, making decisions guided by data, and differing views in Cabinet

14:37 PM Lee reflects on painful national decisions, such as the closure of Changi Airport and Singapore's "circuit-breaker" lockdown in April 2020

19:50 PM Lee addresses a weary nation to explain the decision to move from a strategy of zero-Covid to living with Covid 

Produced by: Sumiko Tan ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Follow Singapore's War On Covid podcast series here:

Channel: https://str.sg/wuJa

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wu3n

Spotify: https://str.sg/wuJy

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

Read Sumiko Tan's stories: https://str.sg/Jbhe 

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

ST Podcasts website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

---

#stcovidbook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Earlier this month, Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) said during the debate on its budget that an inter-agency team is developing a 10-minute digital drawing test to help encourage people to seek help early for dementia. It analyses how people draw certain shapes and symbols and is expected to be ready in 2024.

Seeking help early can help improve the quality of life of someone with dementia - a general term for the cognitive and behavioural symptoms, such as memory loss and an impaired ability to reason, that are typically caused by brain diseases. As the population ages, the number of people living with dementia is expected to rise.

The question is how would we know if we have dementia and when should we seek help? Is forgetfulness the key early symptom to look out for? Is there any way to arrest the changes that dementia brings?

In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Dr Simon Ting, Senior Consultant, Department of Neurology, at the National Neuroscience Institute in Singapore.

Highlights (click/tap above):

01:04 Family members and caregivers important in spotting the tell-tale signs of dementia in patients

03:41 Tests that are usually done to check for dementia

06:13 Why would someone come in early to get tested for dementia?

13:27 Supplements that can help with dementia

14:25 Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is one of the conditions that can get mistaken for dementia

Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, Fa'izah Sani and Eden Soh 

Edited by: Eden Soh and Fa'izah Sani

Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv 

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected]

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

---

Discover more ST podcast series:

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#healthcheck

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book, detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores now. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/

In this second episode of six instalments, ST's health correspondent Timothy Goh tells the story of how Singapore secretly and quickly despatched individuals and teams overseas from late January 2020, to procure masks and other essential items in the early days of the pandemic.

He reveals how Singapore managed to bring home full-scaled mask-production capabilities on the quiet.

Highlights (click/tap above): (Headphones recommended)

01:25 Mr Jayakumar Manickam: Managing logistics for ST Logistics in Singapore one day, flying to India secretly the next day to secure a large shipment of masks in India for the Singapore Government

06:20 Mr Chan Chun Sing, who was Minister for Trade and Industry till May 2021, on the calculations for managing Singapore's existing stockpile of masks

07:15 Panic-buying; modern-day mask piracy even on the tarmac in various countries

08:25 Mr Gabriel Lim, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, on the "Wild Wild West-styled" global mask-buying frenzy

08:55 How Singapore quietly made plans to manufacture its own surgical masks with ST Engineering bringing back its machines, stuck in Taiwan, after an export ban on masks there

10:00 ST Engineering’s Gareth Tang on overseeing the operation

15:15 Catching up with ST Logistics’ Lian Yong De in 2022, on the made-in-Singapore mask industry, and Mr Gabriel Lim, on Singapore's capabilities in the face of the possible next big virus variant

In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story retails for $28 (with GST) at major bookstores. It is also available on the Straits Times Press website: https://www.stbooks.sg/

Episode 3 will be out next on April 18, and you can find out the inner workings of Singapore’s Covid-19 War Room.

Listen to Ep 1 on how 24 people saved one life: https://str.sg/wsfD

Produced by: Timothy Goh ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Follow Singapore's War On Covid podcast series here:

Playlist: https://str.sg/wsfD

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wsPm

Spotify: https://str.sg/wsPs

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wsyN

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

Read Timothy Goh's stories: https://str.sg/wnaH

---

Follow ST Podcasts channel:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWVR

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Lu4rPP

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2PwZCYU

Google podcasts: http://str.sg/googlestbt

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Websites: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wsfD

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia Embed: https://str.sg/ws76

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wnBi

Discover more ST podcast series:

In Your Opinion Podcast: https://str.sg/w7Qt

SG Extra Podcast: https://omny.fm/shows/st-bt/playlists/sg-extra

Asian Insider Podcast: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaf

Health Check Podcast: https://str.sg/JWaN

#PopVultures Podcast: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk Podcast: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This! Podcast: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko Podcast: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#stcovidbook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book, detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores now. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/

In this second episode of six instalments, ST's health correspondent Timothy Goh tells the story of how Singapore secretly and quickly despatched individuals and teams overseas from late January 2020, to procure masks and other essential items in the early days of the pandemic.

He reveals how Singapore managed to bring home full-scaled mask-production capabilities on the quiet.

Highlights (click/tap above): (Headphones recommended)

01:25 Mr Jayakumar Manickam: Managing logistics for ST Logistics in Singapore one day, flying to India secretly the next day to secure a large shipment of masks in India for the Singapore Government

06:20 Mr Chan Chun Sing, who was Minister for Trade and Industry till May 2021, on the calculations for managing Singapore's existing stockpile of masks

07:15 Panic-buying; modern-day mask piracy even on the tarmac in various countries

08:25 Mr Gabriel Lim, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, on the "Wild Wild West-styled" global mask-buying frenzy

08:55 How Singapore quietly made plans to manufacture its own surgical masks with ST Engineering bringing back its machines, stuck in Taiwan, after an export ban on masks there

10:00 ST Engineering’s Gareth Tang on overseeing the operation

15:15 Catching up with ST Logistics’ Lian Yong De in 2022, on the made-in-Singapore mask industry, and Mr Gabriel Lim, on Singapore's capabilities in the face of the possible next big virus variant

In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story retails for $28 (with GST) at major bookstores. It is also available on the Straits Times Press website: https://www.stbooks.sg/

Episode 3 will be out next on April 18, and you can find out the inner workings of Singapore’s Covid-19 War Room.

Listen to Ep 1 on how 24 people saved one life: https://str.sg/wuJa

Produced by: Timothy Goh ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Follow Singapore's War On Covid podcast series here:

Channel: https://str.sg/wuJa

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wu3n

Spotify: https://str.sg/wuJy

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

Read Timothy Goh's stories: https://str.sg/wnaH

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

ST Podcasts website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

---

#stcovidbook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Last week (March 9), Singapore’s Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced that the country is working towards a model where each resident will see one regular general practitioner or polyclinic doctor for all his or her care needs. The doctor will work out a personalised care plan to help nip diseases in the bud and keep him or her out of the hospital as much as possible.

With this Healthier SG strategy, GPs will become the anchor of Singapore’s healthcare system as the country makes the shift from hospital-centric care to a more sustainable way of preventive care. 

From next year (2023), each resident will be invited to enrol with a primary care doctor such as a GP to work out a personalised care plan. The details still need to be worked out. The Government said it will consult stakeholders on this strategy, and provide more details in a white paper in the second half of the year.

In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Adjunct Associate Professor Tan Tze Lee, a family physician and the president of the College of Family Physicians, Singapore, to find out more about how this new strategy will affect the residents here.

Highlights (click/tap above):

01:19 How will enrolling with a family physician affect residents?

05:38 Do existing patients who see the polyclinics or hospitals have to switch to this new plan? 

09:02 What difference does this make if I am already going for regular check-ups?

14:10 How long will it take before we see results from this new scheme?

15:41 What would be the key challenge with this programme?

Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, Fa'izah Sani and Teo Tong Kai

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai

Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv 

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected]

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

---

Discover more ST podcast series:

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#healthcheck

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book, detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores now. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/

In this first episode of six instalments, ST's senior health correspondent Joyce Teo tells the story of the ordeal, that Madam Irene Tan went through, after catching Covid-19 in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore, and how, a team quickly rallied around her to save her life. 

Highlights (click/tap above): (Headphones recommended)

01:25 Retired tutor Irene Tan's cautious way of life in February 2020

05:40 Likely exposure from weekly singing classes, where she took her mask off to sing

07:30 The ventilator experience that scarred Madam Tan

11:25 Having her life supported by a machine 

12:35 Madam Tan recounts praying to God, before eventually pulling through

14:00 Madam Tan's fighting spirit despite low blood oxygen saturation levels

15:15 Dr Chia Po Ying, 33, a consultant at S'pore's National Centre for Infectious Diseases and one of her doctors, looks back on treatment advances two years on in February 2022

16:00 Madam Tan on her way of life now in 2022

In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story retails for $28 (with GST) at major bookstores. It is also available on the Straits Times Press website: https://www.stbooks.sg/

Listen to Episode 2 on how Singapore joined a global hunt for masks: https://str.sg/wsfD

Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Follow Singapore's War On Covid podcast series here:

Playlist: https://str.sg/wsfD

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wsPm

Spotify: https://str.sg/wsPs

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/wsyN

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

---

Follow ST Podcasts:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWVR

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2Lu4rPP

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2PwZCYU

Google podcasts: http://str.sg/googlestbt

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: This podcast series is based on selected chapters from a book, detailing Singapore’s experience battling the Covid-19 pandemic. The book - written by journalists of The Straits Times and edited by ST’s executive editor Sumiko Tan - is titled In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story and is available in major bookstores now. Details online: https://www.stbooks.sg/

In this first episode of six instalments, ST's senior health correspondent Joyce Teo tells the story of the ordeal, that Madam Irene Tan went through, after catching Covid-19 in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak in Singapore, and how, a team quickly rallied around her to save her life. 

Highlights (click/tap above): (Headphones recommended)

01:25 Retired tutor Irene Tan's cautious way of life in February 2020

05:40 Likely exposure from weekly singing classes, where she took her mask off to sing

07:30 The ventilator experience that scarred Madam Tan

11:25 Having her life supported by a machine 

12:35 Madam Tan recounts praying to God, before eventually pulling through

14:00 Madam Tan's fighting spirit despite low blood oxygen saturation levels

15:15 Dr Chia Po Ying, 33, a consultant at S'pore's National Centre for Infectious Diseases and one of her doctors, looks back on treatment advances two years on in February 2022

16:00 Madam Tan on her way of life now in 2022

In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story retails for $28 (with GST) at major bookstores. It is also available on the Straits Times Press website: https://www.stbooks.sg/

Listen to Episode 2 on how Singapore joined a global hunt for masks: https://str.sg/wuJa

Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

Follow Singapore's War On Covid podcast series here:

Channel: https://str.sg/wuJa

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/wu3n

Spotify: https://str.sg/wuJy

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected] 

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

---

Follow more ST podcast channels:

All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7

ST Podcasts website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

The Usual Place Podcast YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa

---

Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section:

The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB

Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX

---

#stcovidbook

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

A Covid-19 infection confers natural immunity but the question is how long will it last. Israel has given some people a fourth dose, which is the second booster shot.

In Singapore, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had said that the question of whether further booster shots are necessary is still a matter of debate among scientists studying the coronavirus, and that there are no active plans to administer a second booster. But will we eventually need one?

In our previous episode, Prof Teo Yik Ying, the dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said Covid would inevitably catch up with all of us at some time. In this mini episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo asks him about the probability of us needing a second booster dose.

Highlights (click/tap above):

00:58 Probability of Singapore needing a second booster shot

02:13 Second booster shot more likely for those with weakened immune systems

03:10 Joyce's personal experience with Covid-19

Listen to Ep 77 ft Prof Teo: Why we are all going to eventually catch Covid-19: https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/health-check-ep-77

Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, and Fa'izah Sani

Edited by: Fa'izah Sani

Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv 

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected]

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

---

Discover more ST podcast series:

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#healthcheck

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Singapore is in the midst of an Omicron surge, and restrictions such as a maximum group size of five at restaurants remain. People are tired of worrying about Covid-19. Now that the Omicron variant has turned out to be less worrisome than thought, when can we stop talking about Covid-19? How are we going to live with it? What does endemic Covid-19 mean?

In this episode, Joyce Teo, a senior health correspondent with The Straits Times, speaks with Professor Teo Yik Ying, the dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock of Public Health. Prof Teo trained as a mathematician at Imperial College, London, and did his masters and PhD in statistics at Oxford University in the UK.

Highlights (click/tap above):

01:06 Covid-19 is a less dangerous disease now

03:47 We are all going to catch Covid-19

05:01 The future of masks and social distancing

08:37 Daily case numbers can be ignored

15:17 Mild symptoms can feel awful too

Listen to Ep 78: 4th Covid shot: Will we need to get it one day? https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/do-we-need-a-fourth-covid-shot-health-check

Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai & Fa'izah Sani

Edited by: Teo Tong Kai and Fa'izah Sani

Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us:

Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX

Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ

Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv 

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [email protected]

Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN

---

Discover ST's special edition podcasts:

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2

Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB

Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa

Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn

---

Discover more ST podcast series:

Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7

Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf

In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt

Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m

#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad

ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE

Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas

Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ

Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL

Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

#healthcheck

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.