The scary thing about Covid-19 is not how deadly it is, but how contagious it is.
Yesterday, all our eyes bulged out of our sockets when we saw that there were 728 new Covid-19 cases, bringing the total to 4,427.
Even hospitals could be heard gasping when these numbers were announced.
With such high numbers, the country has to resort to other means to house these sick patients.
Changi Exhibition Centre Has Been Converted Into Temporary COVID-19 Facility
The Changi Exhibition Centre (CEC) has been converted into a community care facility to house Covid-19 patients who are recovering from the disease or only show mild symptoms.
In a post on Facebook, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean shared images of the newly-converted Covid-19 facility.
The indoor exhibition hall, which is actually an airshow site, now looks like this:
The hall has been furnished with basic furniture and fans to keep the patients cool. It may not look like much, but this 33,000 square metre area will be able to house up to about 2,800 patients.
Eight to 10 patients will be housed in each room, which comes with lockers, power points, and fans.
These may look like the beds of 8-year-old kids, but it’s certainly better than a boring, plain white hospital bed.
Each patient will also receive a “welcome pack” containing necessities such as toiletries and hand sanitiser, though I don’t think it’s a place they’d want to be welcomed to.
Robots Being Used
Now, when I say robots, I don’t mean that Singapore has created a revolutionary new doctor android that can diagnose and treat patients.
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It’s 2020 and we’ve created robots that can bowl, but we still have a long way to go in the medical field.
Instead, these robots at the CEC will be used for simple daily operations of the facility.
ST Engineering’s STrobo Tug, for example, will be used to pick up prepared food and deliver them to the patients in the rooms.
And the BeamPro Telepresence Robot, which might be the coolest name for a robot ever, allows staff to communicate with the patients & attend to their needs.
The facility is almost ready, according to Minister Teo. He thanked all the workers and organisations that made this happen:
“Many thanks to all our public officers and private and public sector partners from the exhibition, hospitality, dormitory & medical sectors, and MINDEF-affiliated organisations, SAFRA, NSRCC and SAF clubs and associations for stepping up & working tirelessly over the past 10 days to prepare the CEC to look after our patients.”
Numerous Community Care Facilities
In addition to the CEC, several other buildings have been converted into Covid-19 facilities.
This includes D’Resort NTUC in Pasir Ris, which can accommodate up to 500 people.
The Singapore Expo has also been converted, with at least one hall that can accommodate 480 patients.
And according to Mothership, even some army camps and vacant HDB car parks will be used as Covid-19 facilities.
It’s a good thing the country is prepared because the last thing we want is a situation where there are not enough beds for patients, which is happening in some countries.