One local COVID-19 case preliminarily positive for Omicron variant; 355 new COVID-19 cases reported on Dec 16

A new local COVID-19 case has tested preliminarily positive for the Omicron variant, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Thursday (Dec 16).

The 42-year-old man is a loading assistant at Changi Airport Terminal 3. He had no contact with flight passengers, said MOH. He was identified as a close contact of the airport staff that tested positive for the Omicron variant on Dec 15.

The man is fully vaccinated. He developed a fever on Dec 8, and sought medical treatment at a general practitioner clinic where he was tested for COVID-19. His result came back positive on Dec 9 and he was placed on home recovery.

He was tested for the Omicron variant on Dec 16, and the test result came back preliminarily positive. Contact tracing is ongoing, and the man, who has mild symptoms, is now recovering in isolation wards at the National Centre for Infectious Disease, said MOH.

As of Dec 16, there are 24 confirmed Omicron cases detected in Singapore. Three are local cases and the rest are imported.

“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,” said MOH.

On Thursday, 355 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Singapore. Of the new infections, 315 were from the community and 140 of those infected were aged between 12 and 39.

One death related to COVID-19 was reported on Dec 16. The national death toll now stands at 808.

There were 847 COVID-19 cases discharged from hospitals over the past day. Currently, 504 cases remain warded in hospitals, with 68 cases requiring oxygen supplementation. There are 34 cases that remain in the Intensive Care Unit.

In the last 28 days, 27,742 cases have been recorded, of which 98.7 per cent had no or mild symptoms and 0.9 per cent have required oxygen supplementation.

As of Dec 15, 96 per cent of the eligible population, 87 per cent of total population, are fully vaccinated, 87 per cent have received at least one dose and 32 per cent have received boosters.