2 more COVID-19 cases in Singapore test 'preliminarily positive' for Omicron variant: MOH

SINGAPORE: Two more COVID-19 cases in Singapore have examined "preliminary positive" for the Omicron variant, stated the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Dec 9). One was a neighborhood case whereas the opposite was imported. Both cases have been totally vaccinated and had obtained their booster pictures. The native case, recognized as Case 276363, is a 24-year-old Singaporean lady who's a passenger service employees member at Changi Airport Terminals 1 and three, stated MOH.She had additionally labored on the transit holding space, the place she might have interacted with transit passengers from "Omicron-affected" nations, stated MOH. The lady didn't work at Terminal 4, the place the three earlier cases of Omicron infections had been to. The lady examined for COVID-19 on Dec 8 as a part of the weekly rostered routine testing for border frontline staff. (*2*) stated MOH. She was asymptomatic when detected by way of rostered routine testing and should have been in the early levels of an infection, added the ministry.The lady self-isolated at house when she was notified of her constructive test outcome, earlier than she was taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). "The National Public Health Laboratory is conducting whole genome sequencing to confirm the variant," stated the Health Ministry. If confirmed, the 24-year-old could be Singapore's first native Omicron case.

IMPORTED CASE RETURNED FROM GERMANY VIA VTL FLIGHT

The different case who examined preliminary constructive for the variant was a 46-year-old lady who returned to Singapore by way of a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) from Germany on Dec 6.The lady, recognized as Case 276,223, is a everlasting resident and was on board Singapore Airlines flight SQ325. Her pre-departure test in France on Dec 4 was adverse for COVID-19 an infection. Upon arrival in Singapore, her PCR test on Dec 6 got here again adverse. She then developed a runny nostril on Dec 7 and sought medical remedy on Dec 8. The lady examined constructive for COVID-19 an infection on the identical day and was confirmed to have the S-gene Target Failure on Dec 9, stated MOH. "Both cases are recovering in isolation wards at NCID. MOH is conducting aggressive contact tracing to ringfence the cases," it added. All shut contacts of the cases will probably be positioned on 10-day quarantine at designated services and endure PCR exams initially and finish of their quarantine interval, stated the Health Ministry. It added that every one airport employees are already examined utilizing PCR exams each seven days. As an added precautionary measure, they are going to now be required to additionally conduct each day antigen speedy exams for the subsequent seven days. "Given its high transmissibility and spread to many parts of the world, we should expect to find more Omicron cases at our borders and also within our community," stated MOH. Singapore reported 682 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.