Singapore — The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday (Dec 20) that it has detected a cluster of three Covid-19 cases linked to Anytime Fitness at Bukit Timah Shopping Centre, of whom two have tested preliminarily positive for the Omicron variant.
All three cases are fully vaccinated and have mild symptoms, said MOH in a press release. It added that the result for the remaining case is pending.
The first case is an unemployed 24-year-old male who developed a sore throat and fever on Dec 18. He sought medical attention at a General Practitioner (GP) clinic and took a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which came back positive on the same day.
The other case is an 18-year-old female Ngee Ann Polytechnic student who was last in school on Dec 15.
She also developed a sore throat and fever on Dec 18 and sought medical attention at a GP clinic. Her PCR test came back positive the following day.
The last case is a 21-year-old male student at At-Sunrise Global Chef Academy but had not been to school recently, reported MOH.
He developed a sore throat on Dec 18 and went to a GP clinic for testing. His PCR test result came back positive.
MOH is ringfencing the cases through contact tracing.
The agency confirmed that staff and visitors of Anytime Fitness (Bukit Timah Shopping Centre) who are identified to be close contacts of the cases would be placed on quarantine.
“As a precautionary measure, other visitors to the gym between Dec 15 and 17 will be issued a Health Risk Warning (HRW),” said MOH.
They will also be contacted by MOH for a one-time targeted PCR test.
All visitors to the affected premises are advised to monitor their health closely, and minimise social interactions as far as possible for 14 days from their date of visit, said MOH. They are encouraged to see a doctor immediately if they feel unwell.
To date, there are 71 confirmed Omicron cases in Singapore, comprised of 65 imported cases and six local cases.
“It is important for everyone to continue to play their part and remain vigilant to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, and to come forward to receive your vaccination or booster dose when offered,” said MOH. /TISG
Read related: OMICRON: Fully vaccinated couple who dined at 4 restaurants among 3 new cases preliminarily positive for the variant