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SINGAPORE – People who choose to take the Covid-19 vaccine will receive a physical vaccination card and will be able to check their vaccination records online, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Monday (January 4).
He noted that nearly 60 percent of people indicated through surveys and other government outreach methods that they will get vaccinated once a vaccine is available, while about a third said they would wait for more data before making a decision.
Gan also told Parliament that people will not be able to choose which vaccine they want.
He said the vaccination card will indicate what vaccine was administered and the appointment dates for the second dose of vaccine, and will also provide brief post-vaccination advice.
Some vaccines, such as the one developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, require two doses to be given 21 days apart and an additional 14 days after the second dose to achieve maximum protection against the virus.
Vaccine records will be updated in the National Immunization Registry, the minister added.
Mr. Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) asked if people will be able to choose which vaccine they want to receive, when more than one has been approved for use.
Gan said allowing people to choose “will unnecessarily complicate the already complex vaccination program.”
Instead, vaccine allocation will be based largely on the medical indications for different vaccines and the suitability of a vaccine for different subgroups of the population, as well as the availability of the vaccine.
“In the immediate term, however, only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use,” Gan said. “So there is no choice.”
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