Covid vaccinations start from Dec 30, with healthcare workers from NCID

SINGAPORE'S Covid-19 vaccination exercise kicks off on Wednesday, Dec 30 with healthcare workers at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID).

The vaccinations will subsequently be rolled out to more healthcare institutions in the subsequent weeks, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Sunday evening.

"Public healthcare institutions - including acute hospitals, community hospitals and polyclinics - as well as private healthcare providers, will progressively arrange for their staff to be vaccinated within their respective premises," MOH said. It also said that the government has accepted in full the recommendations of the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination.

MOH aims to begin vaccinating the elderly, starting with those aged 70 years and above, from February 2021.

Those in this age group have "more medical co-morbidities, and tend to have worse health outcomes than those aged 60 to 69 years if infected with Covid-19", it noted. Protecting older persons minimises Covid-19 related mortality and morbidity, and ensures that the healthcare system here will continue to have the capacity to care for the overall health of all Singaporeans.

"Thereafter we will vaccinate other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible for vaccination. More details will be shared in due course."

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It added: "Vaccination is not a silver bullet that can end the pandemic immediately, but it is a key enabler to getting us back to a safer state of affairs."

MOH noted that vaccination will complement other existing key enablers such as safe management measures, testing and contact tracing, which will continue to be necessary in helping to mitigate any spread and to keep community transmission low.

"We seek the cooperation of all Singaporeans to continue to remain vigilant and disciplined in our fight against Covid-19, by observing safe distancing and safe management measures, and wearing a mask when out of the home. If we all work together, we can look forward to a safer and healthier 2021."

The Multi-Ministry Taskforce thanked the expert committee chairman Benjamin Ong as well as the other members of the committee for their comprehensive recommendations.