Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed the Wuhan virus situation, saying that Singapore is better prepared for a new outbreak since SARS in 2003.

Speaking to the media in Davos, Switzerland, where he is attending the World Economic Forum (WEF), PM Lee was asked about Singapore's level of preparation, should a first case be confirmed here.

The questions, and PM Lee's remarks, were made before the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Singapore officially confirmed the first case of the Wuhan virus in Singapore.

PM Lee said that it was a "matter of time" before Singapore had a confirmed case, due to the high number of travellers between Singapore and China, but also because of Singapore's links to other major cities around the world.

"One way or another, the bug is going to reach us," he said.

Preparations underway

However, Singapore has been preparing for such a scenario for a long time -- ever since SARS.

PM Lee said that after SARS, Singapore made a "thorough review" of facilities such as hospitals, isolation wards, and also scientific testing, including a new Communicable Diseases Centre, the National Centre for Infectious Diseases, in Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

"I think we are much better prepared now," he said.

He also pointed out that due to advances in science and medicine, scientists were able to identify and sequence the new coronavirus much faster than SARS, and were able to share the results more quickly.

Pretending nothing is wrong is not the right thing to do

PM Lee also credited China for being more open about public health emergencies, and said they have made progress. He added:

"They understand now that pretending that nothing is wrong, is not the right thing to do and they have to come out and the more open they are, the more effective they can be in dealing with it and better that they can cooperate with other countries."

PM Lee said that Singapore had to be both "psychologically prepared" and "operationally ready."

Coordinated response

Scientists, healthcare workers and community support need to work together to respond to a significant breakout. He added:

"It looks like this virus is not as lethal as SARS, but you do not know. It can mutate. We have to be as prepared as we can."

PM Lee mentioned the inter-ministerial committee set up to respond to the situation, chaired by both Health Minister Gan Kim Yong and National Development Minister Lawrence Wong.

Different agencies and the grassroots organisations will work with the private sector, GPs and healthcare community to form a coordinated response. Added PM Lee:

"People can see that we are doing what we need to do, and we can go about our lives, take the precautions we need to, but no need to panic."

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Top image from MCI.