Singapore PM Lee tests positive for Covid again in rebound case, says he feels fine

Lee, 71, had tested positive for Covid-19 for the first time on May 22 since the outbreak hit the Island-city shore in 2020. - Bloomberg

SINGAPORE, June 1 (Bernama): Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is experiencing a Covid-19 ‘rebound’, after showing his last negative result on Sunday (May 28) and returning to work on Monday (May29).

"I feel fine but I am afraid I have turned Covid-19 positive again,” he said on his official Facebook page which he appended his ‘positive’ result from a Covid-19 test kit.

The prime minister noted that his "doctors say it is a Covid rebound which happens in 5-10 per cent of cases.”

"It is still infectious although the risk is not high compared to the initial infection. The doctors have advised me to self-isolate until I test ART (Antigen Rapid Test ) negative,” he added.

Lee, 71, had tested positive for Covid-19 for the first time on May 22 since the outbreak hit the Island-city shore in 2020.

As a result, Lee missed the consecration ceremony of a Hindu temple in Singapore on Thursday.

His reinfection comes as Singapore prepares to host top defense leaders from Asia Pacific at this weekend’s Shangri-La Dialogue, including China defense minister, Gen. Li Shangfu, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Lee was prescribed the antiviral medication Paxlovid when he first tested positive on May 22 after returning from a six-day official working trip to South Africa and Kenya. He has been serving as prime minister of the Southeast Asian city-state since 2004.

Singapore is coming off an April peak in Covid-19 infections and its government has been lauded for its largely effective handling of the pandemic. - Bernama