Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said: “Politicians should stick to facts! There is no “Singapore variant”.”
Singapore, one of the few countries that has successfully managed to curb the spread of Coronavirus, has denied that it has any homegrown strain that’s affecting children, as tweeted by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. On Tuesday, the Singapore High Commission tweeted in response to Mr Kejriwal’s tweet calling for a stop to air-traffic to and from Singapore.
“There is no truth in the assertion that there is a new COVID strain in Singapore. Phylogenetic testing has shown that the B.1.617.2 variant is the prevalent strain in many of the COVID cases, including in children, in recent weeks in Singapore,” its High Commission in India tweeted.
The B.1.617 variant, considered highly contagious, was first detected in India and has now been found in several nations. It is said to be driving the second wave in the country that has brought the healthcare system to its knees.
There is no truth in the assertion that there is a new COVID strain in Singapore. Phylogenetic testing has shown that the B.1.617.2 variant is the prevalent strain in many of the COVID cases, including in children, in recent weeks in Singapore.https://t.co/uz0mNPNxlE https://t.co/Vyj7gyyzvJ
— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) May 18, 2021
Earlier Mr Kejriwal had tweeted in Hindi on Tuesday: “The new form of Corona that came to Singapore is said to be extremely dangerous for children, in India it may come as a third wave. My appeal to the central government: 1. Air services with Singapore to be cancelled with immediate effect 2. Vaccine options should be worked out for children too.”
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was quick to hit back at Mr Kejriwal for his comment. Quote tweeting Kejriwal’s tweet, Mr Balakrishnan said: “Politicians should stick to facts! There is no “Singapore variant”.” He also tweeted an article giving details about the Coronavirus variants found in India.
Politicians should stick to facts!
There is no “Singapore variant”. https://t.co/SNJaF7wkwC https://t.co/pNgw4bkV4H— Vivian Balakrishnan (@VivianBala) May 19, 2021
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