Two additional cases of the new Omicron variant of concern have been confirmed in recent international arrivals in Sydney.
The two cases, who were reported as suspected cases of the variant this morning, arrived on Singapore Airlines flight SQ211 yesterday and tested positive on arrival.
People on this flight are considered close contacts of a COVID-19 case and will be contacted by NSW Health.
The travellers had both recently been in southern Africa and were fully vaccinated. They have been in NSW Health's Special Health Accommodation since disembarking from the plane, as has been the procedure for all arrivals from southern Africa since Saturday.
Yesterday, two people who had recently been in South Africa and caught a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Sydney, landing on Saturday, were confirmed as the first cases of Omicron in Australia. Federal Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said this morning the pair were young and asymptomatic.
There are now five confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in Australia, including a man who arrived at the Northern Territory’s Howard Springs facility on a repatriation flight from Johannesberg on November 25.
Singapore tightens rules for VTL travellers, requiring them to take COVID-19 tests for 7 days on arrival
SINGAPORE: All travellers entering Singapore on vaccinated travel lanes (VTL) will soon have to take COVID-19 tests daily for seven days on arrival as the country tightens measures against the Omicron variant.
This means there will be additional swabs on top of the current requirement for a pre-departure test, an on-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, as well as supervised antigen rapid tests (ARTs) on day 3 and day 7 of their visit.
The new testing requirement will take effect on Dec 6, 11.59pm, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Friday (Dec 3).
It will remain in place for four weeks "in the first instance" until 11.59pm on Jan 2, 2022, the ministry added.
The additional tests - on days 2, 4, 5 and 6 - are self-administered and will be done using ARTs. Travellers must submit their results online using a link that will be sent to them via their declared contact details.
On days 3 and 7, the ARTs will be done in a supervised setting at a Combined Test Centre or Quick Test Centre.
"Day 3 is the median incubation period, and day 7 is the day of exit from this testing protocol," said MOH.
"During this seven-day period, other than on days when they go out for their supervised tests, these travellers must test negative on their self-administered ART before going out for activities on that day."
This new testing regime will also apply to travellers arriving from Malaysia using the land VTL from 11.59pm next Monday. These travellers already have to take a pre-departure test and on-arrival ART.
ANTIGEN RAPID TESTS EFFECTIVE IN DETECTING OMICRON
The new testing regime comes amid concerns over the new Omicron variant.
Singapore detected its first two cases earlier this week, when two imported cases tested "preliminarily positive" for the variant. The National Public Health Laboratory is conducting whole-genome sequencing to confirm the Omicron variant.
"We have also been closely monitoring studies on the sensitivity of ARTs to the Omicron variant," said MOH.
"Preliminary validation by the manufacturers show that ARTs remain effective in detecting COVID-19 cases of the Omicron variant, and laboratories are doing further biochemical tests to confirm these results," it added.
"These initial results lend confidence that ARTs remain effective as a method of detecting COVID-19, including Omicron cases."
More at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/vtl-travellers-covid-19-testing-daily-7-days-singapore-omicron-variant-2356791