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SINGAPORE: Singapore has vaccinated more than 6,200 people against COVID-19 and will continue to increase the scope and pace of the country’s vaccination program, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Wednesday (January 13) after receiving his first dose of Pfizer. -BioNTech vaccine.
“In the past few days particularly, we have increased capacity, and yesterday we vaccinated 2,800 (people),” added Gan, who is co-chair of the multi-ministerial COVID-19 task force.
Gan was speaking to invited media at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, along with his co-chair, Mr. Lawrence Wong, who also received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
They both described the injection as painless and waited 30 minutes after that to observe any side effects before speaking to reporters.
“We plan to continue to expand the scope of vaccination and increase the rate of vaccination, eventually to cover the entire population of Singapore,” said Mr. Gan.
READ: Get vaccinated against COVID-19 when you can, instead of waiting for a specific brand, says Lawrence Wong
To do this, in addition to using polyclinics and some general practitioner clinics, four vaccination centers will be established at the end of January to allow the vaccination of a large number of the population, said Mr. Gan.
Two of the centers have been operational since Wednesday, one at Changi Airport Terminal 4 and the other at the Raffles City Convention Center, the Ministry of Health (MINSA) said in a press release.
The two remaining vaccination centers, located at the former Hong Kah High School and the Woodlands Galaxy Community Center, will be ready to operate next week, the ministry added.
Singapore is also on track to have another four vaccination centers by the end of February, the ministry said.
“More centers are being planned across the island, and will be implemented in conjunction with the arrival of vaccine shipments,” the Health Ministry said.
“These centers, along with selected polyclinics and public health readiness clinics (PHPCs), will ensure that all medically eligible Singaporeans and long-term residents of Singapore can conveniently receive their vaccinations.”
READ: Singapore Airlines staff members eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as of January 13
In a Facebook post, Transportation Minister Ong Ye Kung said that the vaccination center at Changi Airport Terminal 4 will serve aircrew members and frontline airport workers, while the other Venue at the Raffles City Convention Center will cater for marine pilots, crew and front line workers who have to go aboard ships.
“This week will be an operational warm-up, where we will vaccinate small groups, to prepare for large-scale operations next week,” said Mr. Ong.
VACCINES FOR HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL, FIRST-LINE WORKERS
The government is taking steps so that all Singaporeans and long-term residents can be vaccinated by the third quarter of 2021, barring “unforeseen interruptions in vaccine shipments,” the Health Ministry said in its press release.
READ: 1,050 Home Team Frontline Healthcare Officers to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine in Coming Weeks
In accordance with the recommendations of the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination, Singapore began vaccinating healthcare workers on December 30.
The vaccination program is “progressing well,” Gan said at the event, with more than 6,200 people vaccinated to date.
These numbers are expected to increase substantially in the coming weeks as the government continues to scale up vaccination operations, the Health Ministry said in the press release.
2,800 people were vaccinated on Tuesday, 2,500 of whom were health workers.
Vaccines have been offered to healthcare workers and staff members in all public and private healthcare institutions, and are being implemented for people working in the community care sector, the ministry said.
In addition to frontline workers at border entry points, Singapore has also started vaccinating those involved in the COVID-19 response, such as swabs and workers in quarantine and community care facilities, the ministry added.
READ: Go only to reliable sources for information on vaccines, says head of the COVID-19 vaccination committee
VACCINES FOR THE ELDERLY
The Health Ministry also announced that vaccinations for the elderly will begin later this month. The ministry will progressively send letters to older people inviting them to book an appointment for their vaccination.
Residents and clients in the community care sector will also be progressively vaccinated, the ministry said.
“Nursing homes have begun to involve their residents and their closest family members in vaccinations. We will work with community care providers to encourage all medically eligible residents and clients to get vaccinated, ”the Health Ministry said.
READ: Ren Ci nursing home staff receive COVID-19 vaccines, among the first in the community care sector
Lawrence Wong received his COVID-19 vaccine at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital on January 13, 2021 (Photo: MCI).
The government will intensify the outreach and participation efforts of older people with the help of volunteers, said Mr. Wong, who is also Minister of Education.
This will be done by inviting them to the nearest polyclinic, PHPC or vaccination center through a reservation system, added Mr. Wong. With the help of volunteers, older people will have access to information in different languages, he said.
“So it will be done in phases synchronized with the arrival of our vaccine shipments. But we expect a significant increase from now on, ”said Mr. Wong.
‘VERY IMPORTANT’ VACCINES IN FIGHT COVID-19
Gan urged everyone to get vaccinated, saying that vaccines play a “very important role” in Singapore’s fight against COVID-19 by providing protection against the virus both individually and collectively.
“It will also collectively protect the entire population if we can achieve a high level of vaccination in the population,” said Mr. Gan.
“This, in turn, will allow us to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic more quickly. It will allow our economy to recover faster, it will also allow us to resume our community activities faster. ”
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