25 new imported COVID-19 cases in Singapore; 5th straight day without community cases

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 25 new COVID-19 cases as of noon on Wednesday (Jan 27), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its preliminary daily update.

All the infections were imported cases who had been placed on stay-home notice upon arrival.

No locally transmitted cases were reported in the community or in foreign worker dormitories.

This is the fifth consecutive day with no COVID-19 community case.  

Details of the new cases will be released on Wednesday night, said MOH.

READ: Singapore starts vaccinating seniors against COVID-19 with pilot exercises in Tanjong Pagar, Ang Mo Kio

READ: Govt targeting one community vaccination centre in every town by end-March, says Chan Chun Sing

VACCINATIONS BEGIN FOR SENIORS

Vaccinations for seniors began on Wednesday in Tanjong Pagar and Ang Mo Kio as part of a pilot to inoculate 5,000 to 10,000 seniors in these areas, which have a high population of elderly people.

It will take some time for "nearly everybody" in Singapore to be vaccinated and develop herd immunity, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at Ang Mo Kio polyclinic on Wednesday.

"It will not be in time for us to have a normal, very exciting Chinese New Year, but it will help."

The Government is targeting to have one community vaccination centre in every town by the end of March, said Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing on Tuesday.

“And if we need to scale it up faster because if the vaccines come in faster, we will make sure that we have the vaccination capacity," said Mr Chan at Tanjong Pagar Community Centre.

READ: What we know about the COVID-19 cases in Singapore that tested positive for the B117 strain

IN FOCUS: How a year of COVID-19 changed Singapore forever

UK VARIANT CASES

Staff members at Jewel Changi Airport as well as Terminal 3's public shops and food establishments who had worked from Dec 31 will be put through a special testing operation.

The move was made as a precautionary measure after three previously reported COVID-19 cases tested positive for the new B117 variant, according to MOH's update on Tuesday, which also said the three infections could be linked.

The B117 strain was first reported in the UK in late November last year and Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said the strain could be “up to 70 per cent more transmissible”.

Long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with recent travel history to Britain have been barred from entering or transiting through Singapore since Dec 23.

As of Wednesday, Singapore has reported a total of 59,391 COVID-19 cases.

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