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SINGAPORE: Singapore has confirmed its first case of COVID-19 carrying the potentially most contagious strain of the virus circulating in the UK, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday (23 December).
The case confirmed as a carrier of the B117 strain is known as Case 58504. It involves a 17-year-old woman who had been studying in the UK since August.
He returned to Singapore on December 6 and delivered his stay-at-home notice to a dedicated center upon arrival.
The student developed a fever on December 7 and was confirmed to have a COVID-19 infection on December 8, the Health Ministry said. She was included among the imported cases reported that day.
“All of their close contacts had been quarantined and had tested negative for COVID-19 infection at the end of their quarantine period,” the Health Ministry said.
“As she had been isolated when she arrived in Singapore, we were able to close this case so that there was no further transmission of her.
The ministry added that “there is currently no evidence that the B117 strain is circulating in the community.”
“All the cases had been placed within 14 days (stay at home notice) in specialized or isolated facilities upon arrival in Singapore, and their close contacts had been quarantined before,” the Health Ministry said.
READ: What we know about the new strain of coronavirus found in Britain
ELEVEN “PRELIMINARY POSITIVE” CASES FOR STRAIN B117
The Singapore National Public Health Laboratory is conducting viral genomic sequencing for confirmed COVID-19 cases that had recently arrived from Europe, the ministry said.
This is “in light of recent reports that the B117 strain, a potentially more contagious strain of the COVID-19 virus, is circulating in the UK.”
A total of 31 imported cases from Europe, arriving in Singapore between November 17 and December 17, were confirmed to have COVID-19 infection in December.
Case 58504 was among these cases.
Among the remaining 30 cases, 12 were not infected with the B117 strain.
“Five samples cannot be sequenced due to their low viral load, and we are awaiting the confirmatory results of another 11 cases that are preliminarily positive for the B117 strain,” the MOH said.
Two cases have not been proven so far, the ministry said.
READ: Singapore to ban UK travelers for new strain of COVID-19 virus; Stronger measures for those with a history of travel to New South Wales.
NEW BORDER MEASURES
Long-term pass holders and short-term visitors who have been to the UK in the last 14 days are not allowed to enter or transit through Singapore after 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday.
This follows “recent reports of a potentially more contagious strain of the COVID-19 virus circulating in the UK,” the Health Ministry said in announcing the measures on Tuesday.
“To reduce the risk of spreading to Singapore, we are implementing new border restrictions for UK travelers as a precautionary measure,” the ministry said at the time.
Under the new measures, returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents will be required to undergo a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival in Singapore, at the beginning of their 14-day stay-at-home notice. .
Singapore reported 21 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total cases to 58,482.
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