Covid-19 crisis Respect the science
I prefer to take off the mask when I go for a walk in the hot sun and there is nobody around. I put on the mask when there are many people around.

Someone said that I should "respect the science" and put up the mask all the time, to avoid getting or spreading the coronavirus infection.

Why is this person so arrogant? Does he think that he is qualified to make a scientific pronouncement?

For the avoidance of doubt, I am not less scientific that most people around. More than 50 years ago, I obtained A1 in physics and chemistry in secondary 4. That was at a time when few people obtained this top grade.

The scientific approach require us to carry out experiments and to make observations. We make hypotheses and test them. From the results, we get scientific conclusions.

As a scientist, we have to observe and understand what is happening, and not to follow other people blindly.

What did I observe over the past four months?

I found that the number of people who died from the coronavirus is quite low in Singapore. It is now 5 per million. This is 1% of the mortality rate in several countries in Europe. In several of these countries, the mortality rate is over 500 per million.

The chance of dying from the coronavirus is 100 times higher in these other countries.

I observed that in Singapore, few people who are infected with the coronavirus need to be treated under intensive care. Our hospitals are not overwhelmed.

I conclude that the virus is mild in a warm climate. This is not the only factor, but it must be an overwhelming one. Other factors may be at play, but they are not so important.

I will change my view if I see many people being infected, being sent to hospital for treatment, being treated in intensive care and dying from the coronavirus.

This is not happening yet. It may happen, but I do not act on "what may happen". When it happens, I will respond accordingly.

If the infected cases increase to large numbers and many people are dying daily, I will change my approach.

I will put on three layers of mask, even when I walk in the hot sun. OK or not?

In the meantime, I do not want any arrogant person to tell me to "respect the science". He is distorting the scientific approach. He does not know what he is talking about.

Tan Kin Lian
 

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