52 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in Singapore, including 14 unlinked infections

SINGAPORE: Singapore reported 52 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases as of noon on Tuesday (Aug 17) including 14 infections with no links to previous cases.

Thirty-five infections were linked to previous cases and had been placed on quarantine, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its preliminary daily update. 

Another three linked infections were detected through surveillance testing.

There were also four imported cases. Three of them were detected upon arrival while the remaining case developed the illness during the stay-home notice or isolation period.

In total, Singapore reported 56 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. 

MOH will release further updates on Tuesday night on the COVID-19 situation in Singapore. 

SUSPECTED ADVERSE EFFECTS REPORTED IN 0.12% OF MRNA COVID-19 VACCINE DOSES

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Monday said that a total of 9,403 reports of suspected adverse effects associated with Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines have been submitted in Singapore as of end-July. 

These reports accounted for 0.12 per cent of the more than 7.5 million doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines administered between Dec 30 last year and Jul 31 this year. 

Of these, 389 reports - or 0.005 per cent of administered doses - were classified as serious adverse events, the authority said in a safety update.

The most commonly reported adverse effects were dizziness, shortness of breath, chest tightness or discomfort, injection site reactions such as pain and swelling, fever, as well as allergic reactions such as rash and swelling of eyelids, face and lips.

As of Tuesday, Singapore has reported a total of 66,281 COVID-19 cases.