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SINGAPORE – Healthcare workers will be the first here to get vaccinated against Covid-19, as Singapore’s exercise kicks off on Wednesday (December 30) at the National Center for Infectious Diseases.
More health institutions will follow in the coming weeks, with public health institutions and private hospitals to progressively organize their staff to be vaccinated within their facilities.
People aged 70 and over will receive the vaccine starting next February. Other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible for vaccination will be next in line, with more details to be shared at a later date.
The Health Ministry announced on Sunday that the recommendations of its expert committee on the Covid-19 vaccination strategy for Singapore, which are specific to the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, were accepted in full.
The committee had recommended that priority be given to vaccination for people at high risk of infection, including healthcare workers and front-line workers.
The Republic received its first shipment of vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech on December 21, and subsequent stocks are expected to arrive in batches over several months.
Singapore is the first country in Asia to obtain the vaccine, which has been administered in other countries such as Great Britain, Canada and the United States.
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been licensed by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the expert committee has endorsed its use in Singapore for people 16 years of age and older.
The vaccine has shown a high efficacy of 95 percent and its safety profile is consistent with the high standards set for other registered vaccines used in immunization against other diseases, the committee noted.
While vaccination is not a silver bullet that can end the pandemic immediately, it is a key factor in bringing Singapore back to a safer situation, the Health Ministry said.
It will complement secure management measures, testing and contact tracing to help Singapore mitigate the spread of the virus and keep community transmission low.
In its statement on Sunday, the Ministry of Health indicated that comprehensive vaccination coverage in the population will indirectly protect those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
In the longer term, more extensive vaccination among the community will also allow Singapore to reopen more as a society and as an economy, and accelerate its recovery from the pandemic.
Vaccination will be offered free and voluntary for all Singaporeans and long-term residents, who are likely to be able to get vaccinated by the end of 2021 if there are no unforeseen interruptions in vaccine shipments.
The expert committee has said it will make further recommendations on other groups that will be prioritized for vaccination, such as those living or working in settings where there is the potential for rapid transmission and major outbreaks, as more vaccines become available.
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