Coronavirus: Singapore confirms first two deaths and PM Lee Hsien Loong warns ‘we must brace for more losses’

Two months since the novel coronavirus arrived in Singapore, the city state woke on Saturday to news of its first casualties after two patients died.

In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sought to reassure the population but also warned of further deaths.

“As we get more Covid-19 cases, more patients will need ICU care, and we must brace ourselves for more losses,” he wrote.

Lee reminded Singaporeans that of the confirmed 385 cases, 131 have been discharged and “most are gradually improving”. He said the government was determined to slow the spread of the virus but needed Singaporeans’ cooperation in complying with measures.

Many Singaporeans expressed sadness after learning of the casualties – a 75-year-old Singaporean woman and a 64-year-old Indonesian man – but there was also a sense of inevitably given the growing toll in other parts of the world.

Worldwide there have been nearly 275,000 infections and more than 11,300 deaths. The fatality rate in Italy is currently at 8.5 per cent, more than double the 4 per cent in China, where the outbreak was first reported.

Chua SJ, a 35-year-old financial planner, said: “It is not about if it will happen, but when it will happen.”

Tan Ern Ser, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore, said: “Since Covid-19 is responsible for a large number of deaths elsewhere, Singaporeans would not be surprised by the deaths.”

Robin Lim, a 53-year-old service manager, said medical teams had managed to keep patients alive for months.

“I was saddened to hear about the news of the deaths but I am not worried,” he said.

The government has prepared the public for this outcome. In February, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong warned people would “succumb to the infection” and said fatalities were “inevitable”.

The Singaporean woman who died had a history of chronic heart disease and hypertension and was admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on February 23. She developed serious complications and eventually succumbed to the infection after 26 days in the intensive care unit (ICU).

The Indonesian man was already in critical condition when he was admitted to the NCID on March 13, having arrived in Singapore from Indonesia where he was in hospital for pneumonia. He had a history of heart disease and died after spending nine days in ICU.

After announcing the deaths, Gan said he was deeply saddened but hailed “the best efforts of the medical team to care for them”.

“I know that Singaporeans will be worried and anxious,” he said. “But we must take courage, and not give in to our fears.”

Psychiatrist Munidasa Winslow said the fatalities could be a wake-up call to Singaporeans of “how real the threat is”.

“In the past two months, people figured that it wasn’t all that dangerous and that our health care system would keep us alive,” he said. “So this can be a boost to social distancing and other measures that can slow the spread of the disease.”

Many Singaporeans expressed confidence in the government and the health care system.

Chelsea Tan, a 25-year-old UX designer, said: “I have full confidence in our health care system. We seem to be doing really well compared to Europe and America, and most people here have recovered.”

Jean Ngiau, a 71-year-old homemaker, said the deaths were sad but did not heighten her concerns.

“As long as we keep to a safe path we should be safe,” she said. “I think we have already maxed out our social distancing. I only see my grandchild whose family has also distanced themselves from others.”

Winnie Lin, a 37-year-old who works in marketing, also urged caution.

“We can only do our part and try to stay clean and practise social distancing,” she said. “Just be extra careful, don’t go around kissing and hugging people.”

The government, however, has reiterated the importance of social distancing, noting on Friday that many local cases had stemmed from interactions at events and workplaces.

Authorities moved from advising that large events be cancelled or postponed to ordering large events with more than 250 people be suspended until the end of June. Entertainment venues and eateries must space patrons one metre apart, while offices have been advised to stagger work hours or let staff work from home.

Lawrence Wong, the minister for national development, urged a change in lifestyle, saying people should avoid crowded spaces and buy takeaway food instead of dining out.

The new measures have created headaches for wedding planner Clare Chua. She has been helping couples reschedule their weddings to comply with the new social distancing measures.

“Fortunately, today’s deaths did not raise another wave of anxiety among our clients and no one is cancelling their weddings,” she said.

Tan Ern Ser, the sociologist at the National University of Singapore, said Singaporeans were already conscientious about precautions.

“There would be those who believe that they are unlikely to catch the virus, let alone die from it, as the number affected, while rising, remains relatively low thanks to the effective measures put in place by the government,” Tan said, suggesting the number of deaths might need to increase to double digits before Singaporeans made more drastic changes.