Singapore detects two apparent omicron cases, its first
Singapore’s health ministry says preliminary tests have detected the new omicron variant of the coronavirus in two passengers who arrived on a plane from Johannesburg, the country's first apparent cases
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Singapore s health ministry said Thursday that preliminary tests detected the new omicron variant of the coronavirus in two passengers who arrived on a plane from Johannesburg the country's first suspected cases. It said it is conducting further tests to confirm the results.
The ministry said the two Singaporeans were isolated upon arrival on Wednesday and had not interacted in the community.
The results of their polymerase chain reaction test on arrival “revealed the presence of S-gene target failure which may be associated with the omicron variant,” it said.
The ministry said 19 other passengers on the same flight tested negative for COVID-19 and have been placed under quarantine.
It said the two apparent cases are both fully vaccinated and have mild symptoms of cough and scratchy throat.
One is a male who arrived in Singapore from Mozambique transiting through Johannesburg, it said. The other is a woman who flew directly from South Africa. Both of their pre-departure tests on Monday were negative, the ministry said in a statement.
Singapore recently banned the entry and transit of non-residents from seven African countries. It also now requires all travelers to Singapore to undergo pre-departure and on-arrival tests. Singapore has a high vaccination rate, with 96% of its eligible population inoculated.
Much remains unknown about the new variant, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it makes people more seriously ill, and whether it can thwart vaccines.