Two new cases tested preliminarily positive for Omicron Variant

1.      The Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected two more COVID-19 cases who have tested preliminarily positive for the Omicron variant, of whom one is a local case (airport frontline worker) and the other is imported. Both cases are fully vaccinated and have received their booster shots. One is asymptomatic while the other has mild symptoms. Both cases are recovering in isolation wards at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID). MOH is conducting aggressive contact tracing to ringfence the cases.

Case 276363

2.      Case 276363 is a 24 year-old female Singaporean who works as a passenger service staff at Changi Airport Terminals 1 and 3, and had also worked at the transit holding area, where she may have interacted with transit passengers from Omicron-affected countries. She did not interact with the three earlier cases of Omicron infections[1] (Cases 271487, 271598, and 273611).

3.      She was tested for COVID-19 on 8 December as part of weekly Rostered Routine Testing (RRT) for border frontline workers, and her polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test result revealed the presence of S-gene Target Failure, which may be associated with the Omicron variant. She was asymptomatic when detected through RRT, and may have been in the early stages of infection. Upon being notified of her positive test result, she self-isolated at home until conveyance to NCID. The National Public Health Laboratory is conducting whole genome sequencing to confirm the variant.

Case 276223

4.      Case 276223 is a 46 year-old female Singapore Permanent Resident who returned to Singapore via a Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) from Germany on board SQ325 on 6 December. Her pre-departure test in France on 4 December was negative for COVID-19 infection. Upon arrival in Singapore, her PCR test on 6 December came back negative. On 7 December, she developed a runny nose and sought medical treatment on 8 December. She was tested positive for COVID-19 infection on the same day, and confirmed to have S-gene Target Failure on 9 December.

5.      Contact tracing for both cases is ongoing. All close contacts of the cases will be placed on 10-day quarantine at designated facilities and undergo PCR tests at the start and end of their quarantine. All airport staff are already PCR-tested every seven days. As an additional precautionary measure, they will also be required to conduct daily antigen rapid tests for the next seven days.

6.      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. It is important for everyone to continue to play their part and remain vigilant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and to come forward to receive your vaccination or booster dose when offered.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
9 DECEMBER 2021