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Singapore: With the emergence of a new, more contagious variant of Covid-19, a health expert has revealed that it could be important to increase the percentage of vaccinations of the population from 80% to 90% or even more.
Professor Teo Yik Ying told The Straits Times on Thursday (December 24) during his daily online talk show The Big Story that increasing vaccines “is the only way we can continue to ensure that the community as a whole be protected ”.
Professor Teo is the dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.
The Chief Health Scientist at the Ministry of Health (MOH), Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, said on December 16 that at least 80 percent of Singapore’s population would need to be vaccinated to achieve a herd community against the virus.
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“When the majority of the population has immunity to the virus, this ‘herd immunity’ indirectly reduces the risk of infection for those who are not immune to it, limiting the groups of infection,” said Professor Tan.
“Estimates of herd immunity generally range from 60 to 70 percent of the population, but vaccine coverage of at least 80 percent would be prudent.”
It is assumed that if the efficacy of a Covid-19 vaccine is around 90 percent, a vaccination of 80 percent of the population would imply that about 72 percent of the population would be protected from the virus, he noted.
Appearance of the B117 strain and new variants
Recent news has highlighted the emergence of a new B117 strain of Covid-19, circulating in Britain at the end of November. The strain is reported to be more contagious, although evidence to show that it is more serious or lethal is lacking.
The new variant has pushed more than 40 countries, including Singapore, to ban arrivals from the UK to date.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization announced on Tuesday (December 22) that the B117 variant had been identified in several countries, including Australia, Denmark, Iceland, Italy and the Netherlands. There is also an unrelated variant identified in South Africa that shares one of the genetic mutations of the Covid-19 strain, according to a report the same day on scmp.com (South China Morning Post).
Singapore reported its first case of B117 on Wednesday (December 23), a 17-year-old Singaporean woman. He had been studying in the UK since August 2020 and returned on December 6.
The Health Ministry announced that all of his close contacts were quarantined and tested negative for Covid-19 infection at the end of their quarantine period. “As she had been isolated when she arrived in Singapore, we were able to surround this case so that there was no further transmission of her,” he added.
The vaccine is still effective against new strains
Meanwhile, health experts, including Professor Teo, have indicated that the new variants or strains would not affect the effectiveness of the vaccines.
However, a better understanding of the new tensions is needed before determining the likely impact and making appropriate policy decisions.
“Governments are concerned (about the new strains) about the impact they have on managing the spread of Covid-19 in the community, and also about any potential impact on the efficacy of the vaccine and quality control measures.” said Professor Teo.
“But for people like you and me, as long as we continue to diligently practice the necessary safe management measures, there is no need to worry too much about these new mutations,” he added. / ITGS
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