Monitoring that pesky COVID-19

After travelling to Malaysia and Singapore, it’s interesting to compare the reaction of these countries to the COVID-19 outbreak and that of my own and the United States. Malaysia had its first case of the coronavirus on January 25^th. While my wife and I visited the country, the number was kept at 26 and since then has sprung to 93. No deaths have resulted from the disease.  

The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Singapore on January 23. Since that time, 130 cases have been detected. And like Malaysia, no deaths.  

Then, of course, there’s the statistics coming in from around the world, 7041 infected in South Korea with 53 deaths, Italy with 5,883 infections and 233 deaths, Iran with 5,823 infections and 145 deaths and so on down the line. Of course, these numbers are changing hourly. New cases in China have diminished considerably and Canada is well down the list with 60 infections and no deaths. Our close proximity to the U.S. has to be a concern because there is no way they have any idea of the number of individuals infected.  

We all know that the virus began in an animal market in Wuhan, China and spread quickly throughout the province of Hubei where there have been over 80,000 infections and 3,000 deaths. So, you would figure that those countries in close proximity would have the greatest incidence of infection. This is true of Japan where there have been 461 infections and 6 deaths.  

Why is the situation so different in Malaysia and Singapore? After all, Malaysia attracted almost 3 million Chinese visitors in 2019 and were well on the way to the same number or greater in 2019. With a population of 32.6 million, that makes about 1 tourist for every 10 Malaysians. For simplicity’s sake, I’ve made similar a similar comparison with other countries using a chart.  

Country	Population	# Chinese Visitors	Approximate Ratio Chinese visitors  per citizen	COVID-19  Infections	Deaths
Malaysia	32..6 million	3 million	1 to 10	93	0
Singapore	5.6 million	3.5 million	About 1 to 2	138	0
Japan	126.6 million	9.6 million	1 to 12	461	6
S. Korea	51.5 million	4.8 million	About 1 to 10	7,041	48
Italy	59 million	5.3 million	About 1 to 10	5,883	233
Iran	83 million	52,000	About 1 to 1600	5,823	145
United States	330 million	3.2 million	1 to 100	438	17
Canada	37.5 million	740,000	1 to 40	60	0

  

Now for the anecdotal. You’ll notice that Malaysia and Singapore receive the most Chinese visitors

Petronas Tower

as a percentage of the population per annum than any other country in the world. How have they kept the number of those infected by COVID-19 to such low numbers and deaths to zero? When we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on February 9, we passed a thermal scanner as we entered the airport so that if we were exhibiting a temperature, we’d have been immediately isolated and tested for the virus. Upon arrival at our hotel at about 2:30 in the morning the girl at the reception desk tested our temperature again. When we bought tickets to go up the famous Petronas Tower, our temperature was taken again and again while in line to go up the elevator of the tower. Our memories are a bit sketchy as to other times our temperature was taken but we think it may have been taken at the bus station and train station.  

Singapore was even more vigilant and, if there was a country to be given the gold standard for monitoring their population for the virus, it may have to go to Singapore. We passed a thermal scanner going through customs at the bus station. When we entered the Art Museum the next day, out temperature was taken again. As well, we had to sign an affidavit that we hadn’t been to China, South Korea and Iran. We also passed a thermal scanner and signed the same affidavit as above to enter a temple. Lying about where we’ve been could result in 6 months in jail or a fine of $10,000 as happened to a Chinese couple earlier that month.  

Employees in many of the buildings we passed were also monitored before entering. Every

Singapore Art Museum

restaurant had free hand sanitizer and, at one, the waiter came around to our table with squirt bottle with sanitizer. "The Star” newspaper of Canada states that school children and office workers have their temperature taken twice a day. It goes on to say that, “Singapore has been relentless in its epidemic preparations: a new purpose-built infectious disease hospital and laboratory, a medical equipment stockpile, and an extensive system of designated free-access and specially trained clinics.” 

Note our surprise that upon returning to Canada on an Air Nippon Airlines flight from Tokyo and walking  through customs at the Vancouver airport without being scanned for our temperature and not having made any declaration as to recent travel. Now, this may all be available on our passports. Nevertheless, we were surprised by the absence of thermal scanners. 

That said, I’m not so fearful about the spread of COVID-19 by Canadians as by our American cousins. The United States reported its first case of COVID-19 on January 21 in Washington State. There are now 79 cases in that state and 438 across the U.S. with clusters in California (69) and New York State (44). Nineteen deaths have been reported. What’s most alarming about the numbers associated with so-called community spread, those people who’ve contracted the disease but have had no contact with anyone who’s travelled outside the country. Alarming too is the lack of testing taking place in the United States. According to the Atlantic magazine that contacted public health departments in all 50 states plus DC, 1,895 people had been tested across America, while in Ontario alone, 1,763 patients had been tested. I mean, come on people. 

Obviously, this could easily be just the beginning of a pandemic but hopefully not. Nevertheless, we can learn from it. If Singapore and Malaysia can keep their number of infections low and deaths at a minimum despite their proximity to China and the huge numbers of visitors they have from that country, then they can provide a lesson for other countries. Ironically, I was a little nervous about travelling to those two countries upon leaving but upon returning, I feel I might be safer from the pandemic had I stayed.