May 23, 2023
SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday morning – his first time contracting it since the pandemic began.
PM Lee said in a Facebook post on Monday that he tested positive after recent work trips – he had travelled to South Africa and Kenya – and that he is “generally feeling OK”.
He added that his doctors advised him to self-isolate until he is asymptomatic.
PM Lee, who is 71, said the doctors prescribed him Paxlovid, an anti-viral medication, because of his age.
His most recent Covid-19 vaccine booster was last November, he said.
“Please continue to keep your vaccinations up to date, as it reduces the risk of severe illness. As Covid-19 remains endemic in Singapore, we must continue to stay safe and healthy,” he said.
PM Lee made official visits to Cape Town from May 14 to 16, and to Nairobi from May 17 to 19.
Singapore has been in a Covid-19 wave, which peaked in mid-April at an estimated 4,000 cases a day.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in Parliament earlier in May that the proportion of seniors aged 60 and above who are updated with their vaccinations has declined from 58 per cent at the beginning of 2023 to 50 per cent as at May 9.
He said it is of critical importance that people continue to take their vaccinations to keep Singapore’s resilience against Covid-19 high.