4 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 1 dormitory resident

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported four new locally transmitted COVID-19 infections as of noon on Tuesday (Jun 8), including three with no links to previous cases.

Three of the infections were in the community. One was linked to previous cases and was already placed in quarantine. The other two community cases were unlinked.

There was also one unlinked case residing in a migrant workers' dormitory.

Five imported cases were also reported, said the Ministry of Health (MOH). They were already placed on stay-home notice upon arrival in Singapore. Two of them are returning Singaporeans or permanent residents.

In all, Singapore reported nine new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. This is the lowest daily number of new cases in almost three months, since Singapore reported eight COVID-19 cases on Mar 13. 

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

AUTHORISED VACCINES "SAFE AND EFFECTIVE" AGAINST COVID-19

There is "no evidence" that inactivated virus vaccines demonstrate higher efficacy against COVID-19 variants than messenger RNA (mRNA)-based vaccines, said the government-appointed expert committee on COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore. 

The two vaccines currently used in Singapore's national vaccination programme - Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna - are based on mRNA technology. 

The Sinovac vaccine, of which Singapore has 200,000 doses, uses inactivated viruses.

"We have noted social media messages asserting that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective against (variants of concern) and that inactivated virus COVID-19 vaccines would provide superior protection," said the committee said in a statement on Monday. 

READ: 'No evidence' inactivated virus vaccines more efficacious against COVID-19 variants than mRNA ones: Singapore expert committee

This clarification follows a similar statement less than three weeks ago, in response to an open letter by 12 doctors that had called for children to be given COVID-19 vaccines other than mRNA ones over fears of "unknown and unstudied" long-term side effects.

As of Tuesday, Singapore had reported 62,219 COVID-19 cases.

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