Another Lockdown?
As NSW prepares to come out of lockdown for the second time, what lessons can we learn from those who have done it before - Singapore.
Vaccinations reduce, rather than stop, infections and by the time the delta variant ripped through Singapore, eight out of 10 of its entire population are double-jabbed - one of the highest rates in the world and has kept serious illness to low numbers. Singapore’s Finance Minister, Lawrence Wong, describes the country, however, as “COVID-19 naive” because it recorded a relatively low number of COVID-19 infections before vaccinations became widespread.
It turns out the terrible waves of illness that swept through the United Kingdom and the United States last year did leave one positive - natural immunity. It’s valuable and the only way to get it is through people catching COVID-19. As Wong put it, many countries “have reached a new COVID-stable situation where they are able to resume activities, and they have not seen any resurgence of cases. We are in a different position.”
The parallels to Australia and New Zealand are obvious, says professor Teo Yik Ying, dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore. “Pandemics end through natural selection or adaption, which is what happens when we are repeatedly exposed to a pathogen. We get used to it being in our body and thereby reducing the harmful or long-term consequences,” professor Teo says.
“Our ministers use that phrase ‘COVID-naive’ because Singapore - very much like Australia and New Zealand - has been very successful at keeping COVID-19 out of our country, so many of our people have not been exposed to the virus.”
It’s a different story in many northern hemisphere countries where the virus infected millions of people last year. By the time those nations started vaccinating, a proportion of people had been exposed to the virus. Those who recovered were left with a degree of protection from future infections.
“So-called ‘natural immunity’ combines with the protective effect of the vaccine to increase the overall immunity of both individuals and the community,” Teo says.
Is this to say Australia got it wrong? No. Simply put, lives were saved and while countries like the United States recorded deaths in the hundreds of thousands (713,000 deaths as of 9 October 2021), Australia recorded 1,405. What our covid plan does mean is that we could, and should, expect more lockdowns in the coming months / years.
With lockdown comes economical stress, financial strain and personal and family hardship. NSW has had two goes at this already, Vic has 6. If - or when - another one comes around and we are not prepared, who can be blame if not ourselves?
Being lockdown prepared can be simple, but it may require professional help to execute and help you stay on course. Have you done the following?
Lockdown Prepared
- Update your budget sheet
- Compare your income and expense pre-lockdown and during lockdown
- Negotiate rates and repayments
- Invest any cashflow surpluses
- Create a saving plan for lockdown
Our team is here to help us all survive lockdown better. Give us a call.
References
Emma Connors (2021, Oct 8) "Singapore's immunity trap a lesson for Australia"
