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Coronavirus: why did Singapore have more cases than Hong Kong – until now?
- A city bordering mainland China has a similar number of coronavirus cases to one 3,500km away. Huh?
- Some experts say Singapore may be doing better in detecting cases; others say there’s a question of trust
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At least in layman eyes, Hong Kong looks like it should be far more vulnerable than Singapore to the spread of the coronavirus.
After all, it has 13 border crossings with mainland China, where the disease is thought to have originated in a market in Wuhan, Hubei province, while Singapore is more than 3,500km away.
So why is it then that the two places have such a similar number of infections, with Hong Kong only surpassing Singapore’s count on Tuesday, when figures as of 8pm showed 49 confirmed cases (and one death) in Hong Kong and 47 confirmed cases in Singapore?
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Some experts suggest the answer is, at least in part, due to standards of detection.
Health care experts say the Singapore government’s approach of actively weeding out those affected could explain its relatively high number of cases, while Hong Kong’s relatively low number might mean there could be silent carriers within the community.
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Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease expert at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, suggested Singapore was detecting more cases because it gave an incentive for citizens to come forward when they were unwell, and citizens in general trusted the government.
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