COVID-19: Notes From the Front Line, Singapore’s Primary Health Care Perspective

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a rapidly progressing global pandemic against which nations are struggling for containment. Singapore is known to have promptly instituted aggressive public health and containment measures. A key pillar sustaining this is the response of its primary health care network. It is important for health care systems worldwide to recognize the value of a strong coordinated response to this crisis from a primary health perspective. There are best practices for early isolation and containment of suspect cases while protecting health care workers and limiting cross infections that are transferable across nations. We describe our framework for how our primary care clinics respond to this pandemic in the hope others may find solutions to their unique needs. Moving forward, there is a pressing need for more studies to enhance our understanding of the response of primary care during these public health crises.