Singapore seniors to get Covid-19 jab from Jan 27; household guest cap imposed ahead of CNY

ONE of Singapore's Covid-19 vaccine shipments has been delayed, which Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said was to be expected, as global demand "is growing rapidly".

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday that "we will continue to monitor our supplies closely" to meet its third-quarter deadline for nationwide vaccine supply.

Already, safe-management measures are being tightened ahead of the Chinese New Year festive season - even while community vaccinations are set to start next week.

With infection risks expected to increase during this period, households will be limited to just eight visitors a day from Jan 26, the MOH said - down from eight guests in each visit. Individuals are also advised to visit no more than two households a day.

The restriction takes effect a fortnight before Chinese New Year. Education Minister Lawrence Wong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry taskforce alongside Mr Gan, called the earlier start date a "pre-emptive move" as social interactions are already on the rise.

The maximum group size for social gatherings outside the house will remain at eight people for now.

But it is vaccination that the MOH has described as the "key enabler allowing us to return to normalcy".

Already, more than 60,000 people have been jabbed with the first dose of the two-dose Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, up from 6,200 last week; 39 staff members at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases have completed both doses.

"These numbers are expected to rise substantially in the coming weeks as we continue to ramp up our vaccination operations safely," the MOH said.

Community vaccinations will begin with pilot shots for senior citizens in Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar from Jan 27. This exercise will be scaled up across the island from mid-February.

Seniors who are notified of their eligibility through the post must make vaccination appointments online, or in person at selected community centres.

Still, Mr Gan warned that "we must expect disruptions from time to time" in vaccine shipments bound for Singapore. He attributed the ongoing delay - the first that Singapore has reported since approving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine - to upgrading at a Pfizer manufacturing plant, but added that "there will be other reasons for delays in time to come", such as urgent demand from countries experiencing "huge outbreaks".

Kenneth Mak, Singapore's director of medical services, also said that Singapore is getting ready to make a decision on a second vaccine provider, and in talks with a third on more information needed for the Health Sciences Authority's review.

While he did not identify these vaccines, Mr Gan has previously identified American pharmaceutical manufacturer Moderna and China's Sinovac as potential suppliers.

Separately, the MOH plans to offer Chinese New Year "surveillance testing" on stallholders, shop owners, food and beverage staff and food delivery workers in the Chinatown area.

The testing on Feb 8 and 9 comes as these people "are expected to interact more frequently with other members of the public during this time", it added: "There has been no evidence that these community groups are at higher risk of infection."

Singapore will also absorb the cost of workers' rostered routine testing (RRT) for another six months in industries at higher risk of Covid-19 outbreaks.

Workers living in dormitories, as well as those in the construction, marine and process, aviation and maritime industries, are some key groups who have to undergo RRT.

Noting that "Covid-19 continues to pose significant public health risks in these sectors", the MOH said that the government will continue to bear RRT costs until Sept 30, beyond the initial cut-off date of March 31.

"The government will continue to review its subsidies for Covid-19 RRT to ensure that they support our public health efforts while sharing the costs equitably between taxpayers, employers and individuals."

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