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SINGAPORE – Singapore’s national Covid-19 vaccination program began on Wednesday (December 30) with the first injections of Pfizer-BioNTech administered to 40 healthcare workers at the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
This marks an important milestone in the Republic’s fight against Covid-19, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told reporters, noting that vaccination could help accelerate the resumption of economic and community activities and pave the way. path for the reopening of more borders.
“We want to reassure Singaporeans that our priority over the next several months is to ensure that the vaccines we use are safe and effective, and that we can implement this program throughout the population smoothly and in an orderly manner.” said Gan, who co-chairs the multi-ministerial working group addressing Covid-19.
Vaccination efforts will also intensify over the next several weeks and months, Mr. Gan said during a visit to the NCID, and healthcare workers at other public health institutions and private hospitals will be next in line for vaccination.
Subsequently, the front-line workers and the elderly will be vaccinated, progressively extending the doses to the rest of the population. “Our goal is to complete our coverage by the end of next year,” he said.
Gan added that he is pleased to see that a robust system has been put in place to ensure a smooth implementation, given the challenges of managing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, which were first delivered to Singapore from Brussels earlier this month.
The process includes keeping the vaccines at minus 70 degrees C in storage and ensuring that they remain between 2 and 8 degrees C when transferred. They must also be administered within a specific time period.
That is why deployment of the vaccine is being done slowly and cautiously, rather than “rushing in and (rolling out) en masse,” which could pose a multitude of difficulties and challenges, Mr. Gan added.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also hailed the launch of the vaccine as a new chapter in Singapore’s fight against the pandemic.
“The vaccine is key to living in a Covid-19 world, but it will still be some time before this storm passes. In the meantime, let us be vigilant to keep ourselves and our loved ones healthy and safe,” he wrote.
Gan also reminded Singaporeans to be on guard against the virus.
Although community cases remain low, “the next outbreak is only one infection away,” he said, adding that a high vaccination rate can protect the country from future waves of infection.
“We have to continue to be vigilant and when the opportunity presents itself, we must step forward to get vaccinated to protect ourselves, protect each other and keep Singapore safe,” Gan said.
Ms. Sarah Lim, 46, a senior nurse at NCID, was the first person in Singapore to receive the vaccine.
“I am grateful and grateful to be the first to be vaccinated. I would encourage (others) to do so,” she told reporters after receiving the vaccine.
Thursday (December 31) also marks one year since China alerted the world to an outbreak of the coronavirus, which has since infected 82 million people worldwide and claimed the lives of around 1.8 millions of people.
27 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Singapore on Wednesday (December 30), bringing the country’s total to 58,569.
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