People wearing face masks walk along the promenade at Marina Bay in Singapore. (FILE)
The highly transmissible strain of Covid-19 that surfaced in India has become more prominent among Singapore's growing number of unlinked cases, in a sign that hidden chains of transmission of the variant have existed for some time.
Of the 17 unlinked cases identified on Sunday, six patients whose ages range from 29 to 57 years old preliminarily tested positive for the strain known as B.1.617, according to updated Ministry of Health data published overnight. Among them is a driver who was tested for the virus after developing a runny nose, an auxiliary police officer who had body aches, and an unemployed Malaysian national who saw a doctor after experiencing fever and cough. Among them, two had gotten their first vaccine dose already.