Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tested positive again on Jun 1 due to a “COVID rebound.”
SINGAPORE: Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Wednesday (Jun 7) that he is “finally COVID-free,” six days after testing positive again for the virus due to a “COVID rebound.”
Mr. Lee initially tested positive for COVID-19 on May 22, and after recovering, he was declared COVID-negative on May 28 and resumed his work. However, on June 1, he tested positive again, a result of what is known as a COVID rebound.
“Delighted to be finally COVID free so I could catch up with Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his wife Ibu Iriana, over a chicken rice lunch today – one of the president’s favourite local delights in Singapore,” Mr. Lee shared in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
President Widodo is in Singapore for the Ecosperity conference, an annual event focused on sustainable development, organized by Temasek.
The 71-year-old Prime Minister had initially isolated himself as per his doctors’ advice following the June 1 positive test, which was attributed to the rare but known phenomenon of COVID rebound, reported to occur in 5 to 10 percent of cases.
Mr. Lee had been prescribed the antiviral medication Paxlovid during his first infection, as he is in a higher-risk age group. His most recent COVID vaccine booster was administered in November.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had issued a health advisory in May 2022 warning of the potential for COVID rebound. This rebound can happen between two and eight days after initial recovery and is characterized by the return of symptoms or a positive test after having previously tested negative. According to the CDC, this phenomenon can occur regardless of vaccination status or antiviral treatment.
