Singapore’s Defence Minister Ng recovering from COVID-19

It could have turned out differently. This takes the death toll from coronavirus complications to 874.About 93 per cent of Singapores eligible population has completed the full vaccination regimen, and 60 per cent of the total population has received the vaccine booster shot.

Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said on Tuesday that he was recovering from COVID-19 after he became the country’s first minister to be infected by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Ng shared his personal experience with the virus in a Facebook post, providing a detailed account by describing symptoms including a fever, body aches, and a sore throat.

Ng, 63, said he “expected that it would be a matter of time” before he contracted COVID-19, due to the contagious nature of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

''Not that one would go looking to be infected, but with the highly infectious Omicron causing the largest waves since the start of the pandemic in Singapore, it would be hard to avoid this variant, unless one became a recluse,'' The Straits Times quoted Ng as saying.

Given that Ng already had a total of three shots of the vaccine (two primary doses and a booster shot), he felt assured that he would avoid serious illness.

Recounting his experience over five days, Ng said that day 1 started out normal enough, where he did his regular exercise of running and weights.

''Felt good and energetic,'' he wrote in the post.

Subsequently, he had some video meetings in the office, none of which were in person.

He said he was feeling better on day 5.

''I’m better with the infection waning, and none the worse for wear. It could have turned out differently. If I got infected two years ago with the original strain, unprotected without vaccines, I would have feared for my life literally,'' he wrote.

Singapore reported 7,806 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Monday, comprising 7,629 local and 177 imported infections.

There were 3 fatalities, according to the latest infection statistics on the Ministry of Health (MOH) website. This takes the death toll from coronavirus complications to 874.

About 93 percent of Singapore's eligible population has completed the full vaccination regimen, and 60 percent of the total population has received the vaccine booster shot.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)