Singapore to recognise approved overseas vaccinations for all travellers; kids below 12 to be vaccinated from early 2022
SINGAPORE is streamlining its recognition of overseas Covid-19 vaccines, including for short-term visitors, foreign workers and students, and returning Singapore residents.
Meanwhile, the national expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination will soon release recommendations on a third booster dose for those with severely weaker immune responses, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in an update on Thursday.
That's as some 77 per cent of the population had received a full vaccination regimen by mid-week, with 82 per cent having gotten at least one of the two vaccine doses.
From Friday night, travellers who can produce an English-language vaccination certificate upon arrival will receive a tamper-proof sticker on their passport, as long as their vaccines have emergency use approval from the World Health Organisation.
The SafeEntry and TraceTogether computer systems will also be updated to recognise their vaccination status by September - letting such travellers skip the pre-event testing requirement for dine-in services and mass events like religious services.
"We will recognise overseas vaccinations for access to local venues, facilities and events. Travellers whose vaccination status is verified upon entry will be eligible for vaccine-differentiated (safe management measures)," said Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, one of the three co-chairs of the multi-ministry taskforce on Covid-19, at a press conference.
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Such a move is a liberalisation from the present regime, which exempts only Singapore residents and long-term pass holders registered in the national immunisation registry.
If they received their vaccinations overseas, such residents and long-term pass holders have been required to take antibody tests to prove that their vaccinations were effective.
Still, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, another taskforce co-chair, warned the briefing that "even with very high vaccination rates, we are not going to reach herd immunity".
Risks to unvaccinated seniors and children will remain "even if we were to reach vaccination rate of 82 per cent, which will happen in a few weeks' time", Mr Wong added.
In that vein, co-chair Ong Ye Kung, the Minister for Health, said the vaccination of children under 12 "should start some time in early 2022", after proper study of safety and efficacy.
Vaccination centres will be kept in operation to jab this group and other unvaccinated people, as well as to administer booster shots, he added.
Mr Ong believes that "we will very likely have to start a booster exercise" for severely immunocompromised patients, as countries such as Britain, Germany, France and the United States plan to do. Such patients include cancer patients, organ transplant recipients, and those on dialysis for end-stage kidney disease.
The expert committee has been considering factors such as the incidence of adverse reactions to third doses, and whether the booster shot should be of the same brand as the first two, said Mr Ong - even as it is now developing its recommendations on Singapore's booster strategy.
Said the MOH: "While a large proportion of our population is now vaccinated, we are planning ahead to ensure that our population continues to be well protected from Covid-19 and its new variants as they arise." READ MORE:
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