Doctors say Covid-19 variants are still emerging but herd immunity levels in the community have fallen over time.
When a 70-year-old public speaker suddenly collapsed on stage, all the medical tests came back negative - until a Singapore specialist uncovered the hidden culprit five days later: Covid-19.
"He had the prodromal symptoms, the flu and a runny nose that were the early warning signs of Covid-19. The infection weakened him and caused him to collapse," says Dr Asok Kurup, a visiting consultant at the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH).
Since 2020, he has been a member of the Health Sciences Authority's panel of infectious diseases experts for Covid-19. In April, he was appointed to the inaugural Board for the Communicable Diseases Agency led by the Ministry of Health.
"Covid-19 is not gone, it is still around," Dr Kurup says.
"It is not just causing mild infections but it may also be causing problems in people who are old and who have many medical problems."
As public concern about Covid-19 eases significantly, the vaccination rate for Covid-19 has also fallen.
Dr Kurup warns against complacency as herd immunity levels in the community have dropped over time, but new SARS-CoV-2 variants - the newest being the LP.8.1 strain - are still circulating. For some groups of people, it results in severe symptoms.
Citing recent studies, Dr Kurup says that the risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event is higher in people infected with Covid-19, but being up-to-date with protection can help reduce the risks.
Singapore saw its most recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the week of Apr 27 to May 3, 2025. During that period, the estimated number of Covid-19 cases was
14,200, up from 11,100 in the previous week
. During this period the average daily number of people hospitalised for Covid rose to 133.
Among those hit hardest were elderly patients with existing conditions.
Dr Kurup personally saw three such cases at SGH. Two of them, one in their 60s and the other in the 70s, were end-stage renal failure patients, with one of them on dialysis. They both had to be put on mechanical ventilators to help them breathe. The third patient needed respiratory support.
At his private clinic in Hougang, GP Dr Leong Choon Kit says there is resistance among elderly patients to be vaccinated against Covid-19, while younger people believe they do not need any more protection.
He recounted the story of an 86-year-old woman with a heart condition and other co-morbidities, including high blood pressure, cholesterol and osteoarthritis.
The frail, wheelchair-bound patient contracted Covid-19 in June this year. When the anti-viral regime Dr Leong prescribed did not work, she had to be hospitalised.
She had received the flu and the pneumococcal vaccines from his clinic earlier in June, but turned down the Covid vaccination then.
"I followed up with her after she was discharged from hospital and she expressed regret that she did not get the Covid vaccination," says Dr Leong.
Two weeks after her discharge, her son, who takes care of her, went to Dr Leong's clinic to discuss about Covid-19 vaccination.
Dr Leong hopes that more people learn from this example and discuss about Covid-19 protection with their doctor.
"For people who are not vaccinated, when they suffer an infection, there could be damage to the body," he says. "In some cases, even after recovery there could be some prolonged weakness."
He stresses that protection should be discussed, especially in multi-generational households that include grandparents, parents and children.
Both he and Dr Kurup encourage everyone to keep up with their Covid-19 protection as
one in five Singaporeans are now aged 65 and above
. The Communicable Diseases Agency in Singapore has announced on Oct 24 that
updated Covid-19 vaccines are now available
at more than 600 general practitioner (GP) clinics and 10 polyclinics, as well as through mobile vaccination teams.
"Many of us live with others so when we make decisions, we have to take into account how we are going to impact the people who are vulnerable because we can transmit Covid to them," says Dr Kurup.
Five years after the first cases of Covid surfaced in end 2019, general practitioners (GP) like Dr Leong are seeing patients suffering the long-term effects of Covid, also known as long Covid.
The
most common
long Covid symptoms are fatigue, breathlessness and issues with mental focus. There is
no specific drug treatment
for long Covid.
"Long Covid is a real thing and we are seeing some patients with weaker lungs whom we may have to prescribe inhalers to treat the symptoms, for example," Dr Leong explains.
Dr Kurup points out that long Covid affects separate groups of patients differently.
"There is good evidence from around the world that shows if you prevent severe Covid, you can mitigate the risk of long Covid," says Dr Kurup.
Currently, the Ministry of Health recommends
three groups of people
that should consider Covid vaccinations: those aged 60 and over, people with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and heart conditions, and residents of aged care facilities.
With updated Covid vaccinations available now for free at polyclinics and private GP clinics, Covid-19 protection can be easy and accessible for those aged 6 months and above.
For the elderly, the frail and people living with chronic diseases, Dr Kurup recommends a "holistic care approach" and need for protection against Covid-19, influenza, pneumococcal disease and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease.
According to Dr Leong, it might be worth consulting your healthcare provider about receiving all the vaccinations in one appointment, for convenience.
The doctors' message is clear: Because Covid-19 has never gone away and new variants emerge, protection is still recommended.
"Covid-19 in the foreseeable future is still a force to be reckoned with," says Dr Kurup.
Find out more about Covid-19 protection.
Lim J T et al.;2024;
Long term cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and other thrombotic complications in COVID 19 survivors : A retrospective cohort study
; Last accessed 31 August 2025
Wee et al.;2024;
Long term cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and thrombotic complications after SARS COVI-2 omicron infection: a retrospective cohort study
; Last accessed 31 August 2025
MOH.
Changes to Covid-19 Vaccination Precautions and Recommendations
. Last accessed September 2024
The information is for educational purposes only and based on healthcare professionals' opinions. The content in this article cannot be used in place of a consultation with a medical professional nor a basis of self-diagnosis or for treatment decision. Only your doctor can provide you with accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment.