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SINGAPORE (The Straits Times / ANN): Covid-19 vaccines will be free to all Singaporeans and long-term residents currently here, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Monday (December 14).
Those most at risk will be given top priority, including healthcare workers and front-line personnel, as well as the elderly and vulnerable, he said in a televised speech.
“From then on, the committee proposes to progressively vaccinate the rest of the population and cover everyone who wants to be vaccinated by the end of next year,” Lee said, referring to a committee of doctors and experts created by the Ministry of Health to recommend a vaccination strategy for Singapore.
In a vote of confidence for the experts in Singapore who approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for pandemic use, he added that he and his colleagues in Cabinet will get vaccinated early.
Lee said, “This is to show, especially older people like me, that we believe vaccines are safe.”
While vaccines are voluntary, he urged people here to get vaccinated when one is offered.
“Because when you get vaccinated, you’re not just protecting yourself,” Lee said.
“The more we vaccinate, the more difficult it will be for the virus to spread and the safer we will all be as a society.”
He made this call when he announced Monday that the Health Sciences Authority approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for pandemic use.
The first shipment of the vaccine is expected to arrive later this month.
More vaccines will be available in the coming months, he said, adding that if all goes according to plan, Singapore will have enough vaccines for everyone here by the third quarter of next year.
There are currently 52 Covid-19 vaccine candidates in clinical trials around the world. – The Straits Times / Asia News Network
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