SINGAPORE – The republic yesterday reported 11 new Covid-19 cases, including a Singapore Airlines employee who tested preliminarily positive for the B117 strain.
The Health Ministry, in its full report last night, said the cabin crew member, a 41-year-old local woman, departed Singapore on January 30 on a turnaround flight to the United Arab Emirates, and returned on February 1 without having disembarked the aircraft in the Middle Eastern country.
On February 7, she was tested for the coronavirus as per the Singaporean Civil Aviation Authority’s requirement.
“Her pooled test result came back positive for Covid-19 on February 8, and she was sent to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases for an individual swab, and isolated. Her test result came back positive for Covid-19 the next day,” said the ministry.
Labelled “Case 60,102”, the patient received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on February 2.
“As the vaccine does not contain the live virus, she could not have been infected due to vaccination,” said the ministry.
“It is possible for one to be infected just before or after vaccination, as it typically takes a few weeks for an individual to build up immunity after completing vaccination.”
It said four passengers on the same flight tested positive for Covid-19 early this month, and are preliminarily positive for the B117 strain.
Singapore’s overall Covid-19 toll stands at 59,732. – Bernama, February 10, 2021
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