Singapore — The first Covid-19 case detected in Singapore’s foreign worker dormitories in more than a month has brought home the fact that the virus can infect even those who have been vaccinated. Something reported earlier only in other countries.

The 23-year-old male Indian national, the first Covid-19 case among dormitory residents since Feb 28, had already received the vaccine, the first dose on Jan 25 and the second on Feb 17.

Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung, a member of the multi-ministry task force on the coronavirus, commented on the case of the Indian work permit holder reported to have the virus on Sunday (April 11). The worker was employed by Seafront Support Company Pte Ltd, which has been providing manpower and support services for PSA’s Pasir Panjong Terminal.

The minister provided more details on the case in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Apr 14).

Mr Ong wrote: “Epidemiological investigations are ongoing, but these are the key findings so far:
He is found to be carrying antibodies after vaccination.
He has no symptoms. His positive results came about from a routine testing of port workers.
156 of his close contacts were quarantined, and all of them have tested negative so far and they will be tested again before they are discharged from quarantine.
More than 1,500 other workers living in the dormitory have also tested negative for COVID-19.
This case is just one data point, but it reinforced our understanding of the virus and vaccinations”.

Mr Ong explained it is indeed possible for vaccinated individuals to be infected. He added that vaccines are effective in protecting us from the more severe forms of the disease and can significantly reduce the likelihood of the infected person passing the virus to others.

The man is reported to be asymptomatic and was detected when he was tested on Apr 7 as part of Rostered Routine Testing (RRT). His pooled test result came back positive for the virus the next day, and he was immediately isolated.

According to MOH, the man was given an individual test on Apr 9, which also returned positive for Covid-19 the next day. He was then conveyed in an ambulance to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. /TISG

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