SINGAPORE – Singapore today reported one confirmed case with UK B117 virus strain involving a 17-year-old female Singaporean who was studying in the UK from August, according to the republic’s Health Ministry.
The ministry said, in light of recent reports that the B117 strain, a potentially more contagious variant of the Covid-19 virus, is circulating in the UK, the National Public Health Laboratory is performing viral genomic sequencing for confirmed Covid-19 cases arriving from Europe.
A total of 31 imported cases from Europe, which arrived in Singapore between November 17 and December 17, are confirmed to have contracted Covid-19 this month, it said in a statement.
Among them, the ministry said, 12 were not infected with the B117 strain, and one has been found to carry the B117 strain.
“Five samples cannot be sequenced due to their low viral load, and we are pending confirmatory results for another 11 cases that are preliminarily positive for the B117 strain. Two cases have not been tested so far,” it said.
The ministry noted that there is currently no evidence that the B117 strain is circulating in the community.
All the cases have been placed on 14-day stay-home notice (SHN) at dedicated facilities or isolated upon arrival in Singapore, and their close contacts have been quarantined.
As a precautionary measure, Singapore announced yesterday that starting yesterday, all long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to the UK within the last 14 days will not be allowed entry into Singapore, or transit through Singapore. – Bernama, December 24, 2020
