Singapore: Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday that he tested positive for COVID-19 after recent visits to South Africa and Kenya.
“I tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time this morning,” Lee said in a Facebook post.
“This comes after my recent work trips. I am generally feeling ok but my doctors have advised me to self-isolate until I am asymptomatic,” he added.
Lee, 71, said due to his age, doctors prescribed him the antiviral medication Paxlovid, adding that his most recent COVID-19 vaccine booster was in November.
“Please continue to keep your vaccinations up-to-date, as it reduces the risk of severe illness,” he wrote.
Posting a picture of his positive antigen test, the prime minister added, “As COVID-19 remains endemic in Singapore, we must continue to stay safe and healthy.” Lee made official visits to Cape Town in South Africa from May 14 to 16 and Nairobi in Kenya from May 17 to 19.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently in Sydney, Australia, wished his Singaporean counterpart a speedy recovery.
“Wishing my friend @leehsienloong good health and a quick recovery,” he tweeted.
Earlier this month, Singapore’s Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament that fewer seniors are keeping up to date with their COVID-19 shots, Channel News Asia reported.
He warned that if the trend of falling vaccinations continues, it could weaken the population’s resilience against COVID-19 over time and make it vulnerable to the virus again.
“The benefits of the COVID-19 vaccines continue to far outweigh the risks, and you should keep your vaccination updated,” he said last month.
“This is the recommendation of both the Expert Committee On COVID-19 Vaccination and the Health Sciences Authority,” the minister was quoted as saying in the report.
Singapore is experiencing a COVID-19 wave, which peaked in late April.
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