Singapore reaches 50% vaccination rate, but 200,000 seniors yet to take the jab

HALF the population in Singapore have received both doses of the Covid-19 vaccines as of July 19, but there are still 200,000 seniors who have yet to take the jab, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a virtual press conference, Mr Ong, who co-chairs Singapore's multi-ministry Covid-19 taskforce, said unvaccinated seniors, who are above 60, have a high likelihood of falling critically ill once infected.

"Let's say 10 per cent of them get infected, that's 20,000 (who will) be in hospital. Among them, 10 to 15 per cent - that's 2,000 to 3,000 - will end up in the ICU (intensive care unit). It's a huge, huge number," said Mr Ong.

Noting that Singapore's hospital capacity must be protected, he said: "Once that is under pressure or overwhelmed, it will be a disaster, and many people and patients will be affected."

The Health Ministry said in a press release that it is deploying mobile vaccination teams to estates where there are more unvaccinated seniors, and seniors can also walk into any vaccination centre for their first appointment.

Meanwhile, Singapore is on track to reach its target of having two-thirds of its population vaccinated by National Day, with about 80,000 shots administered daily, said Mr Ong.

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