Singapore Is Safest Country In Southeast Asia During Covid-19 Pandemic
Though Singapore has seen a rise in community Covid-19 cases over the past days and weeks, our situation remains largely under control.
In fact, a recent survey published by Bloomberg concluded that Singapore is the 2nd safest country to be in during the Covid-19 pandemic, just behind New Zealand.
Our nation’s high position on the list can likely be attributed to our low case numbers and the availably of vaccines.
Bloomberg survey ranks Singapore as 2nd safest country
The latest rankings, published on Monday (25 Jan), were based on the ‘Bloomberg Resilience Score’ which takes into account 11 matrices:
- 1-month case per 100,000
- 1-month fatality rate
- Total deaths per 1 million
- Positive test rate
- Access to Covid vaccines
- Vaccine doses given per 100
- Lockdown severity
- Community mobility
- 2021 GDP growth forecast
- Universal healthcare coverage
- Human Development Index
As expected, countries that came in 10th and above all have relatively low fatality and positive test rates.
However, when we zoom in to the top 5 — China, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore, and New Zealand, it seems access to Covid-19 vaccine and the number of doses administered are what set the countries apart.
For Singapore, the government has reportedly secured vaccine supplies for 85% of its population, edging out Taiwan and China, which came in 4th and 5th with 26% and 77% respectively.
However, the pacific countries of New Zealand and Australia – ranked 1st and 3rd – did significantly better in this aspect, clocking 247% and 230% respectively.
That said, it appears both countries have not started administering vaccines to their citizens.
Singapore on the other hand, though modest, has administered vaccines to 1.05% of their population.
Another matric that Singapore excelled in is “universal healthcare coverage”, highlighting our nation’s superb healthcare system.
Singapore is the only ASEAN country in the top 5
Though 6 of the top 10 countries are from Asia, Singapore is the only ASEAN country that was in the top 5.
The next highest-ranked country in the region is Vietnam, which came in 10th.
Here’s how some of our neighbours fared:
- Thailand — 14th (59.4)
- Malaysia — 16th (56.7)
- Philippines — 24th (52.4)
- Indonesia — 43rd (45.6)
For more information on the rankings, visit Bloomberg’s website here.
Singapore’s Covid-19 efforts getting recognised
It’s certainly heartwarming that our nation’s efforts against Covid-19 are getting such international recognition.
Hopefully, the Covid-19 situation in Singapore will remain under control while more Singaporeans get vaccinated.
Do you think the rankings are fair? Let us know in the comments below!
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Featured image adapted from JurongHealth Campus’ Facebook.
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