Covid-19 vaccine may only be available in end-2021: MOH

Singapore

A VACCINE for Covid-19 may only be available towards the end of next year, even though trials appear to be promising at this stage, a senior Ministry of Health (MOH) official said on Friday.

This is because even if they have entered advance trial stages, delivering a safe and effective vaccine is still not guaranteed at this point, Kenneth Mak, the ministry's director of medical services, said during a virtual press conference organised by the multi-ministry task force tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

"We expect, realistically, a vaccine to be available perhaps next year, rather than this year," he said.

"And given the global demand for these vaccines, it may not even be in the beginning of next year, but perhaps towards the end of next year, where we might see vaccines produced in sufficient doses and available then for procurement and to be delivered into Singapore."

In the meantime, Singapore is working with various pharmaceutical companies and on the international front, collaborating with a view towards gaining access to promising vaccine candidates, he said.

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Meanwhile, more than 80 per cent of Singapore's 300,000 foreign workers have been tested for Covid-19, and the government is expecting to complete testing for all dormitories by the first week of August, with the exception of blocks that are being used as quarantine facilities, the task force said.

The 17 standalone blocks in eight purpose-built dormitories house 28,000 workers who are serving out their isolation period.

At the press conference, National Development Minister and task force co-chair Lawrence Wong said the plan is to clear all dormitories and the "vast majority of migrant workers" by Aug 7.

"Thereafter, we will be working very closely with all the companies who are engaging these workers, to allow them to start work and to allow work to resume as soon as possible," he said.

The completion of the tests also means that Singapore's number of daily cases is expected to come down by the middle of August, Mr Wong said.

On Friday, MOH confirmed 277 new Covid-19 cases, taking Singapore's tally to 49,375. Among the new cases, five were in the community, two were imported, while the rest are migrant workers living in dormitories.

Mr Wong pointed out that there may be a lag before the cleared workers return to work, as their companies have to first implement safe-management measures.

He urged companies to start preparing for these measures so that they can resume work once their workers are cleared.

"Do not wait until the middle of August when all the workers are clear. Begin now, submit all the requirements now so that you can get all of this working in parallel," he said.

He added that the authorities will continue to put the workers through regular testing while monitoring them at their work sites.

However, the role of the individual remains critical, the task force emphasised.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, the task force's other co-chair, said about 40 per cent of the community cases continued to engage in activities after symptom onset and before they were isolated.

The task force also noted that there has been crowding and poor adherence to safe-distancing measures at hot spots such as beaches, nightspots, and certain malls and parks.

Mr Wong said they are stepping up on enforcement and putting in place enhanced control measures. This may include, for example, closing off beaches and parks once they approach their capacity limits, he said.