Singapore, Dec. 2 (BNA) The Singaporean Ministry of Health said today, Thursday, that preliminary tests revealed a new type of Corona virus in two passengers who arrived on a plane from Johannesburg, in the first suspected cases in the country. She is conducting more tests to confirm the results.
The Singaporeans were isolated upon arrival on Wednesday and had not interacted in the community, according to the Associated Press, the ministry said.
She said the results of the PCR on arrival “revealed a failure of the S gene target that may be associated with the omicron variant.”
The ministry said 19 other passengers on the same flight tested negative for COVID-19 and were placed under quarantine.
She said the two clear cases were fully vaccinated and had mild symptoms of coughing and an itchy throat.
She added that one of them was a male who arrived in Singapore from Mozambique via Johannesburg. The other is a woman who flew straight from South Africa. The ministry said in a statement that both tests they took before departure on Monday were negative.
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 being vaccinated.
Much remains unknown about the new alternative, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it makes people more dangerous, and whether it could thwart vaccines.
insult