Where crime and tragedy engrossed the nation in 2019’s Yahoo Year in Review, attention in 2020 has been on the novel coronavirus and health-related issues, with Coronavirus/COVID-19 related searches rising by close to 130% during the circuit breaker period.

People also looked at health-related issues more on Yahoo platforms, with views for articles on diseases and medical conditions rising by a staggering ~5000%. Stories relating to addiction and substance abuse were also among the most read, with views up by close to 650%. Views on nutrition-related stories rose by over 750%.

As the COVID-19 public health crisis panned out worldwide, Singapore users were early to catch on as they sought general information and statistics about the virus and its impact.

Here are the top searches on Yahoo! in different categories this 2020:

Top 5 search keywords on COVID

1. Coronavirus update
2. Symptoms of coronavirus
3. Coronavirus death toll
4. Worldometer coronavirus
5. Wuhan virus statistics

Top 10 searches related to coronavirus/lockdown

1. Singapore coronavirus update
2. Coronavirus statistics
3. Coronavirus latest news
4. Coronavirus death toll chart
5. Temporary Relief Fund
6. Circuit breaker
7. Singapore Solidarity Budget
8. Stay home notice
9. Social distancing
10. MOH coronavirus

Popular searches during circuit breaker period

1. How to wear a surgical mask?
2. How to apply for a temporary relief fund?
3. How to apply for SIRS?
4. What are essential services in Singapore?
5. What to watch on Netflix?
6. What is normal body temperature?
7. What to do during lockdown?
8. What is stay home notice?
9. What is DORSCON red?

Top 5 entertainment searches (Movies & TV shows)

1. Crash Landing on You
2. Parasite
3. Kingdom
4. Ever Night
5. Ip Man 4: The Finale

Top 5 most searched celebrities (Male)

1. Kobe Bryant
2. Hyun Bin
3. Prince Harry
4. Aliff Aziz
5. Ashraf Sinclair

Top 5 most searched celebrities (Female)

1. Serena Liu
2. Meghan Markle
3. Kate Middleton
4. Go Soo-jung
5. Son Ye-jin

Top food/drinks related searches

1. How to make bubble tea?
2. How to make dalgona coffee?
3. How to make pizza dough?
4. How to make pancakes?
5. How to cook chicken rice?
6. How to make muah chee?
7. How to cook spaghetti?
8. How to make tapioca pearls?
9. How to make cheng teng?
10. How to make mee hoon kueh?

Top 5 recipe searches during circuit breaker period

1. Dalgona coffee recipe
2. Pancake recipe
3. Banana cake recipe
4. Muah chee recipe
5. Aglio e olio recipe

These trends are based on user search trends in Singapore from February to April 2020.