Plans for Self-declaration of COVID-19-positive Status

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Minister for Health whether there are plans to allow for the self-declaration of COVID-19-positive status, with appropriate penalties for false declarations, as a means of relieving the burden on general practitioners (GPs) who are currently facing a surge of patients seeking verification of their COVID-19-positive status from the GPs in order to postpone their booster shots or to be absent from their workplace.

The verification of positive Antigen Rapid Test (ART) results is necessary as part of official record-keeping to ensure that COVID-19 infection records are accurate. This can be done at primary care clinics, Combined Test Centres (CTCs), or Quick Test Centres (QTCs). MOH has also worked with approved telemedicine providers to provide remote supervised self-ART services, so as to offer more accessible options for members of the public who wish to have an official infection record.