In the early days of the pandemic, Singapore focus was to control the transmission of COVID cases by embarking on an aggressive contact tracing and quarantine approach. The country received global praise for this effort which allowed businesses, schools and life on the tiny island nation to go on as normal as possible with very few infections or deaths. But as the virus found ways to evade control efforts, Singapore had to employ alternatives to mitigate the spread with a country wide lockdown. By late December 2020, vaccines became available and it appeared the fight would soon be over with an aggressive vaccination strategy. Cases remained low, life continued on within the confines of Singapore fairly normally while much of the rest of the world experienced devastation from the virus. However, soon the highly infectious Delta variant would throw Singapore a curveball with its ability to spread faster and cause breakthrough infections. Within several months, Singapore went from a handful of cases to several thousand cases a day. The city state had to create a new game plan to deal with the virus and embrace a new strategy that COVID-19 would need to become endemic. As the country embraces the endemic strategy, there are changes being made to the healthcare system, the vaccination program and how people will work, study, live and travel safely going forward.

Speaker

Erin Pung, BSN, RN, MPH
Deputy Director, Communicable Disease,
Health Promotion Board, Singapore

Erin Pung is the Deputy Director of Communicable Disease at the Health Promotion Board in Singapore where she is responsible for the Singapore National Immunisation program, HIV and STI prevention, hand and respiratory hygiene and antimicrobial resistance. Erin has had a unique 20-year journey working across the healthcare ecosystem – from the Singapore health regulatory agency, in the global pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, clinics and clinical research – with responsibilities in a broad range of functions – global health policy development, clinical operations, clinical research, government affairs, medical affairs, global workplace health and quality improvement. In workplace health, she managed a preventive health program for GSK across 21 countries and at Facebook across 14 countries in APAC. She has a Bachelors Degree in Nursing from the University of Washington and is a graduate of the MPH- International health program from Oregon State University in 2003. Originally from Seattle, she has lived in Asia since 2003.