Coronavirus: Singapore confirms first two deaths and PM Lee Hsien Loong warns ‘we must brace for more losses’
- Many Singaporeans expressed sadness after learning of the casualties: a 75-year-old Singaporean woman and a 64-year-old Indonesian man
- Confidence in the city state’s health care system remains high but government has reiterated the importance of social distancing
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.”