Singapore finds local Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variant cases

SINGAPORE - Singapore has detected its first community cases confirmed to be infected with the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of COVID-19, the Ministry of Health said in a press release Monday.

The ministry reported two local COVID-19 cases infected with the BA.4 variant, and one local case infected with the BA.5 variant. All cases are fully vaccinated, and had earlier received their booster dose. They were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose and sore throat, and did not require hospitalization.

The ministry said it will step up local surveillance efforts and continue monitoring the spread of the BA.4 and BA.5 variants in Singapore.

While the society is now more resilient against the virus, everyone should continue to play their part and remain vigilant to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the ministry noted.

On Monday, Singapore recorded 2,123 new COVID-19 infections, including 2,073 locally transmitted and 50 imported cases.

Three more deaths were reported from the pandemic in the Southeast Asian country, bringing the death toll to 1,366.

According to the health ministry, at least 1,000 cases of BA.4 and BA.5 variants have been reported in at least 16 countries as of May 11.