SINGAPORE – Households here can collect a bottle of mouth gargle at 25 Singapore Pools branches islandwide from next Monday (Nov 22).
The povidone-iodine (PVP-I) gargle, which is distributed under Temasek Foundation’s Stay Prepared initiative, kills germs that cause sore throat and aims to reduce the spread of illnesses.
Singapore Pools announced the distribution of the gargle on Thursday. The exercise will run from Nov 22 to Dec 12, from 10am to 5pm daily.
Interested households can book a date, time and location to collect a 250ml bottle of the gargle by sending “hello” via WhatsApp to 9099 6600, or at this website.
To collect the gargle, residents must show their SP residential bill or account number, and e-mail or WhatsApp confirmation at their selected collection point.
Staff volunteers from Singapore Pools will be manning collection booths outside the selected branches to distribute the gargle.
Over 8,000 volunteering hours will be committed towards this initiative, the betting operator said.
Volunteers from the Ministry of Finance, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, Accountant-General’s Department, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, RSVP Singapore The Organisation of Senior Volunteers, Singapore Customs, Singapore Turf Club and Tote Board will also be helping with the distribution.
Singapore Pools chief executive Lam Chee Weng said: “As Singapore is adapting to live with the Covid-19 endemic, Singapore Pools is thankful for the support of our partners in this collective effort to distribute mouth gargles to help the community stay well and safe.”
Residents may gargle two to four times a day when they feel a sore throat is about to develop, or for general oral hygiene, Temasek Foundation said previously.
The PVP-I gargle, a fast-acting brown liquid against pathogens, is formulated for gargling and should not be swallowed.
Evidence from multiple studies has shown that PVP-I can interrupt the attachment of Sars-CoV-2 – the virus that causes Covid-19 – to oral and nasopharyngeal tissues and lower the amount of viral particles in saliva and respiratory droplets.
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MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.