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Singapore –  More than 100 Covid-19 cases have been linked to the Changi Airport cluster as of  Sunday (May 23), making it the largest active cluster in Singapore.

A closer look at the data provided by the Ministry of Health (MOH) showed that 43 of the 100 cases linked to the cluster till May 20 had received one or two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, 24 were reported to be asymptomatic cases. Further observation indicates that 14 of the 24 asymptomatic cases were unvaccinated.

According to the data, 24 patients linked to the cluster tested positive for the B1617 variant, which was first detected in India, during preliminary testing. It was reported that half of them were unvaccinated.

The airport cluster started with an 88-year-old cleaner at Changi Airport Terminal 3 testing positive for Covid-19. That was the first case, reported by MOH on May 5.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the initial transmission could have occurred through an airport worker who was assisting a family from South Asia,” said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) in a joint statement on Friday (May 21).

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Further investigations by CAS and MOH are ongoing.

After the airport cluster totalled 100 cases on Thursday (May 20),  eight more cases have been reported, taking the tally to 108.

There were three cases already quarantined, reported on May 21. Another case was detected through surveillance. The Singapore permanent resident had visited Changi Airport Terminal 3 on May 2.

The following day, a 33-year-old Filipino woman working as a domestic worker was confirmed to be linked to the cluster.

On May 23, three more cases were confirmed. One is a seven-year-old Singaporean boy who is a student at St Stephen’s School. The student was identified as a close contact of another case linked to the cluster. The two others are close contacts or related to the confirmed cases linked to the cluster.

In response to the growing cluster, Jewel and Changi Airport passenger terminal buildings have been closed to the public since May 13. They will remain closed until the end of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) as an “added precaution”, announced CAAS and CAG.

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As of May 23, MOH reported that the number of new cases in the community has increased from 131 in the week before to 182 last week. The number of unlinked cases in the community has also increased from 30 in the week before to 46 last week.

MOH noted that among the 239 confirmed cases reported from May 17 to May 23, 52 have tested positive in serology tests, 150 have tested negative, and 37 serology test results are pending./TISG

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ByHana O