MOH Debunks Assertions About New Covid-19 Strain From Singapore
The B16172 variant of the coronavirus has been associated with recent clusters and community cases here in Singapore.
8 More Community Covid-19 Cases Linked To Changi Airport Cluster, It’s Now S’pore’s 2nd Largest
Turns out, the worsening situation in Singapore hasn’t just caught the attention of people here but some overseas too.
Recently, a minister from New Dehli warned about an alleged new strain of the coronavirus that caused the uptick in cases in Singapore. He also urged Prime Minister Modi to suspend all air services with Singapore.
The Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) has since issued a clarification saying there’s no such thing as a “Singapore variant” and that it had in fact originated in India.
Delhi chief minister warns against new Covid-19 variant from S’pore
In a tweet on Tuesday (18 May) evening, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal warned about a supposed new variant of the Covid-19 virus in Singapore that’s responsible for the recent surge in cases.
सिंगापुर में आया कोरोना का नया रूप बच्चों के लिए बेहद ख़तरनाक बताया जा रहा है, भारत में ये तीसरी लहर के रूप में आ सकता है।
केंद्र सरकार से मेरी अपील:
1. सिंगापुर के साथ हवाई सेवाएं तत्काल प्रभाव से रद्द हों
2. बच्चों के लिए भी वैक्सीन के विकल्पों पर प्राथमिकता के आधार पर काम हो— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 18, 2021
He wrote that the new strain is “extremely dangerous for children” and could cause a 3rd wave in India.
As such, he called on the Indian government to suspend all air services with Singapore and prioritise the vaccination of children.
MOH says the B16172 variant originated in India
Later that night, MOH issued a statement addressing Mr Kejriwal’s assertions.
Saying that there’s “no truth whatsoever” to the Delhi minister’s tweet, MOH clarified that there is no such thing as a “Singapore variant”.
Even though many of the recent cases and clusters have reported the B16172 variant, the strain apparently originated in India.
Singapore sees a sharp spike in community cases
Over recent weeks, Singapore has seen a sharp spike in community cases. What’s perhaps more worrying is also the fact that many of these infections are unlinked.
Several clusters linked to our key institutions like Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Changi Airport have also emerged.
Meanwhile, India continues to report more than 250,000 new Covid-19 cases and around 4,000 deaths daily.
Though the number of new daily cases appear to be on a downward trend, a cyclone hitting the western coastal district is reportedly making medical efforts even more challenging.
Hope Covid-19 situation improves in Singapore & India
Even though the new variant is no doubt concerning, perhaps it would do everyone good to research more thoroughly before making claims about where they’re coming from.
Kudos to MOH for the prompt response, dispelling the allegations about the new coronavirus variant.
We hope the Covid-19 situation in both Singapore and India will show signs of improvement in the coming days and weeks.
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Featured image adapted from Twitter.
