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SINGAPORE: The government has fully accepted the recommendations of the COVID-19 Vaccination Expert Committee on Singapore’s overall vaccination strategy, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) said on Sunday (December 27).
Healthcare workers will be vaccinated first beginning December 30, beginning with those from the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). The vaccines will subsequently be rolled out to more health institutions in the coming weeks.
The Health Ministry said that public health institutions, including acute care hospitals, community hospitals and polyclinics, as well as private hospitals, will progressively arrange for their staff members to be vaccinated within their respective facilities.
The Health Ministry added that its goal is to begin vaccinating the elderly, starting with those aged 70 and over, starting in February next year.
“Thereafter, we will vaccinate other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible for vaccination. More details will be shared in due course,” the Health Ministry said.
The COVID-19 Vaccination Expert Committee, which presented its recommendations on Thursday, highlighted that two main groups should be prioritized for vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine: those at high risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 and those who are more vulnerable to serious illness and complications if they get sick with the coronavirus.
The prioritization of these groups comes in light of the limited supply of vaccines, the current epidemiology of the disease and public health considerations, the committee said in a news release.
READ: Singapore-approved Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, first shipment expected late December
Those at high risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 include healthcare workers and workers on the front lines of Singapore’s COVID-19 response.
“There is a duty to protect these workers who are exposed to an increased risk of infection in the course of caring for our population, and to ensure the effective and continuous functioning of our health system and our national systems to prevent and contain the spread. of the epidemic, “the Committee said.
PRIORITIZE THOSE VULNERABLE TO DISEASES, COMPLICATIONS
Individuals who are most vulnerable to serious illness and complications if they become ill with COVID-19 include the elderly and those with medical vascular comorbidities.
Even within the oldest age groups, the committee said that COVID-19 patients aged 70 and over have worse health outcomes than those aged 60 to 69.
When the supply of vaccines is limited, the Expert Committee recommended vaccinating people aged 70 and over first, followed by people aged 60 to 69 years.
The Expert Committee also recommended that around 5 per cent of the vaccine stock available at any given time be reserved for specific groups of people who are “critically important to the functioning of Singapore”.
READ: First shipment of COVID-19 vaccines arrives in Singapore
These individuals could include staff involved in ensuring that Singapore’s nationwide water, utilities and other essential services are not disrupted. This is independent of the prioritization of population subgroups for public health considerations, to ensure that Singapore can continue to function effectively amid a local outbreak situation.
The Committee of Experts said that the detailed identification of these groups will be decided by the Government.
Ongoing public health measures, such as safe distancing, the use of masks and good hand hygiene, should also continue to be applied until a significant proportion of the population is vaccinated and more data is available on the duration of protection for the vaccine and its ability to elicit a body response to prevent infection early on, the committee said.
READ: Don’t focus on herd immunity, vaccination should be comprehensive: COVID-19 panel expert
The chair of the Expert Committee, Associate Professor Benjamin Ong, said the recommendations were made after “careful evaluation and deliberation of the available clinical data.”
“While Singapore currently has a low local transmission rate of COVID-19, we remain vulnerable to the threat of an increase in cases. As such, it is important that we achieve the most comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination coverage possible across the entire population.
“We strongly recommend that all people who are medically eligible get vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available,” he added.
REACHING THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEVEL OF POPULATION COVERAGE
As described in the committee’s full recommendation to the government, the “ultimate goal” of Singapore’s vaccination strategy against COVID-19 is to achieve the highest level of population coverage possible.
The committee said this approach protects as many people as possible and will dramatically reduce the overall proportion of people susceptible to the disease and the likelihood of uncontrolled chains of transmission.
NOTE: All COVID-19 Vaccine Eligible People in Singapore Should Get Vaccinated, Says Chair of Expert Committee
“High vaccination coverage in the population also indirectly protects others who may not yet be eligible for vaccination. As vaccines become more available, all Singapore residents who are medically eligible for vaccination should be vaccinated, although vaccination should remain voluntary, ”he added.
THE PFIZER-BIONTECH VACCINE MEETS SAFETY STANDARDS
The Expert Committee said it has independently reviewed the clinical data on the safety and efficacy of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, and agrees with the indications for provisional authorization granted by the Health Sciences Authority ( HSA) for the use of the vaccine in Singapore under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR).
The Committee has evaluated that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is suitable for use in persons 16 years of age and older in Singapore for the prevention of COVID-19.
READ: Data on Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine ‘Rigorously and Thoroughly Reviewed,’ HSA Says
In assessing the suitability of candidate vaccines for specific population groups, the Expert Committee considered four key criteria: vaccine safety, vaccine efficacy, vaccine tolerability, and adequacy of clinical trial data.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine has demonstrated a high vaccine efficacy of 95 percent and its safety profile is consistent with the high standards set for other proprietary vaccines used in immunization against other diseases, the committee said.
Although the benefits of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine outweigh the known risks, the committee said it recognizes that continued monitoring will be necessary.
“Pfizer-BioNTech will also continue its study of vaccine safety in certain subpopulations, such as pregnant women and children. HSA requires Pfizer-BioNTech to continually submit updated data as it becomes available.
“Until more information is available, pregnant women and those under the age of 16 should not receive the vaccine. It is not recommended yet for immunosuppressed people until more data is accumulated,” the committee said.
READ: COVID-19 vaccine allowed for Muslim use, life preservation is a key consideration: MUIS
As information on more vaccines becomes available, the Expert Committee said it will evaluate and make further recommendations on the next population groups to be vaccinated.
It will also continue to monitor and review the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Singapore as more data becomes available over time.
The Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination was convened by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in October to make recommendations to the Government on Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy.
The members of the committee are:
As of Sunday, Singapore has reported a total of 58,524 COVID-19 cases, with 29 deaths from the disease.
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