Context - Currently, S'pore's COVID-19 measures are relatively broad-based, without consideration for personal health risk factors. For example, we impose the same safe distancing rules on all workers, regardless of their health statuses.
Need - As we re-open our economy, we need a more targeted risk management strategy, with the individual health risks quantified using rigorous scientific evidence.
Solution - I developed an online risk score assessment tool ( https://sgcovidcheck.shinyapps.io/covid-19/ ) , to (1) help our people obtain a personal assessment of their COVID-19 mortality risk and (2) help policymakers quantify the health risks associated with re-opening our economy.
Method - The risk scores are based on a study using Cox-regressions on ~17 million patients in the UK, comprising ~5,500 COVID-19 deaths, by researchers at LSHTM and Oxford.
Next Steps - The government should validate the online tool using S'pore patient data. If valid, then it should use these risk scores to (1) draft more nuanced guidelines for each health risk level and (2) quantify the health risk associated with re-opening specific workplaces by aggregating individual employee health risk scores at that workplace.
For example, the government should encourage employees to self-report their risk scores to their employers, so that employers can develop more tailored measures (e.g. special staggered work timings for high-risk employees). It can also reduce the number of on-site employees in workplaces that have a high concentration of high-risk employees or increase safety inspections of such workplaces. This should also be coupled with MOM manpower submission data and Safe Entry data on the type and number of workers in a workplace and frequency of visitors to develop a more comprehensive analysis of risk.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.