Coronavirus Singapore/Vaccines
SIA pilot who flew to UK among 27 new virus cases
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An SIA pilot and a work pass holder have tested preliminarily positive for the new B117 strain of the coronavirus.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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A Singapore Airlines (SIA) pilot and a work pass holder have preliminarily tested positive for the new B117 strain of the coronavirus that is circulating in the United Kingdom.
They were among 27 new coronavirus cases confirmed yesterday, taking Singapore's total to 58,569.
The new B117 strain is reportedly 70 per cent more contagious, but has not shown signs of being more lethal or severe.
The pilot, a 40-year-old Singaporean man, had travelled to the United Kingdom for work between Dec 19 and 22, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) yesterday.
Although he tested negative for Covid-19 upon returning to Singapore, he developed a fever last Saturday and sought medical treatment at a general practitioner clinic the next day, where he was swabbed and confirmed positive on Tuesday.
Further tests will be conducted to confirm the Covid-19 strain the man has.
The work pass holder who also preliminarily tested positive for the B117 strain is a 53-year-old man who returned from the United Kingdom. He was confirmed positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, there were 24 other imported cases, all of whom had been placed on stay-home notice or isolated on arrival in Singapore, said MOH.
Among the imported cases, three are Singaporean, four are permanent residents, five are work pass holders and seven are work permit holders.
Of the seven work permit holders, six are foreign domestic workers.
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Update on cases
New cases: 27
Imported: 26 (3 Singaporeans, 4 PRs, 5 work pass holders, 7 work permit holders, 3 dependant's pass holders, 1 student pass holder, 1 long-term visit pass holder, 1 short-term visit pass holder, 1 special pass holder)
In community: 1 (PR)
In dormitories: 0
New community cases in the past week: 2
(2 unlinked cases)
Active cases: 129
In hospitals: 52 (0 in ICU)
In community facilities: 77
Deaths: 29
Patients with Covid-19 who died from other causes: 15
Total discharged: 58,396
Discharged yesterday: 11
TOTAL CASES: 58,569
The imported cases also include three dependant's pass holders, one student pass holder, one long-term visit pass holder, one short-term visit pass holder and one special pass holder.
The sole community case announced yesterday is a permanent resident who works as a marine surveyor at Lloyd's Register Singapore.
As part of his job, the 46-year-old man works on board vessels docked at Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard.
He had not gone to work since the onset of symptoms on Sunday.
His case is currently unlinked and epidemiological investigations are ongoing, said MOH.
Marina Bay Sands, IMM, Takashimaya and Orchard Gateway were among places visited by Covid-19 patients while they were still infectious, said MOH.
The full list of locations can be found on the gov.sg website.
Overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained low, with a total of two cases in the past week which are currently unlinked.
With 11 cases discharged yesterday, 58,396 patients have fully recovered from the disease.
A total of 52 patients remain in hospital, while 77 are recuperating in community facilities. None is in intensive care.
Singapore has had 29 deaths from Covid-19 complications, while 15 who tested positive have died of other causes.
