ONE MORE CASE TESTED PRELIMINARILY POSITIVE FOR OMICRON VARIANT

    The Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected one more local COVID-19 case who has tested preliminarily positive for the Omicron variant. The case is fully vaccinated and has mild symptoms, and is recovering in an isolation ward at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. MOH is ringfencing the case through contact tracing.

2.  Case 276615 is a 42 year-old male who works as a loading assistant at Changi Airport Terminal 3, and had no contact with flight passengers. He developed a fever on 8 December and sought medical treatment at a General Practitioner (GP) clinic where he was tested for COVID-19. His test result came back positive for COVID-19 infection the next day, and he was placed on the Home Recovery Programme. As he was subsequently identified as a close contact of Case 279330, his sample was tested for the Omicron variant on 16 December and his test result came back preliminarily positive. The National Public Health Laboratory is conducting whole genome sequencing to confirm the variant and contact tracing is ongoing. 

3.  All close contacts of suspect Omicron cases will be placed on 10-day quarantine at designated facilities and undergo polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests at the start and end of their quarantine. Individuals who are identified to have visited places the cases had been at, and who could potentially have interacted with them, will be issued a 7-day Health Risk Warning (HRW) by MOH. 

4.  To date, there are 24 confirmed Omicron cases detected in Singapore, with 21 imported cases and three local cases. 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
16 DECEMBER 2021