SIA Stewardess Who Took Covid-19 Vaccine Among Imported Cases Reported On 9 Feb

Did you know you could still contract the coronavirus even after getting vaccinated?

Your body needs time to build up immunity against the virus, meaning it’s possible to be infected just before or after getting immunised.

In fact, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH), it typically takes a few weeks for an individual to build up immunity after getting vaccinated.

You’d have to be pretty unlucky to be exposed to Covid-19 in that time, but that’s exactly what happened to one stewardess here.

SIA Stewardess Who Took Covid-19 Vaccine Among Imported Cases Reported On 9 Feb

11 new Covid-19 cases were reported on Tuesday (9 Feb), all of which were imported.

10 had been placed on stay-home notice on arrival in Singapore, while the remaining case is a 41-year-old Singapore Airlines (SIA) stewardess who was on a turnaround flight to the United Arab Emirates.

Five individuals on that flight have tested positive for the coronavirus.

All five have also tested preliminarily positive for the B117 strain of the coronavirus, which is believed to be more infectious.

The other four passengers infected with Covid-19 are all dependant’s pass holders, including a three-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy.

They were confirmed to have the virus earlier this month.

On 30 Jan, the 41-year-old stewardess departed Singapore on a flight to Dubai and returned on 1 Feb without disembarking from the aircraft.

Then, on 2 Feb, she received her first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

She could not have been infected due to the vaccination, as the vaccine does not contain live virus.

This likely means she contracted it before or after getting immunised.

Did Not Seek Medical Attention For Symptoms

Like many cases recently, the stewardess did not seek medical attention when she exhibited symptoms associated with the coronavirus.

On 4 Feb, she developed anosmia – loss of the sense of smell – but did not see a doctor.

Her infection was only detected on Sunday (7 Feb) because she was tested as part of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore’s requirements.

Her test came back positive and she was taken to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases.

Her serology test has come back negative, meaning it’s likely a recent infection.

The remaining 10 imported cases tested positive while serving their stay-home notices.

Two More Locations Visited By Infections Covid-19 Cases

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health added two more locations to its list of public places that had been visited by infectious Covid-19 cases.

Based on the list, it seems like we do nothing more than shop at malls and eat at hawker centres.

And the two latest additions support this theory.

One shopping mall in Punggol and a hawker centre in Hougang were added to the list:

• Oasis Terraces at 681 Punggol Drive on 3 Feb between 2.45pm and 4pm
• Ci Yuan Hawker Centre at Ci Yuan Community Club in Hougang on 7 Feb between 10.30am and 11.35pm

There’s no need to avoid these places, but those who have visited these locations at the specified times should monitor their health for 14 days from the date of visit.

If you experience any Covid-19 symptoms, such as cough, sore throat, and runny nose, as well as fever and loss of taste or smell, please see a doctor.

Feature Image: Fedor Selivanov / Shutterstock.com (Image for illustration purpose only)