Singapore's construction, marine and process workers among priority groups for vaccine

WORKERS "in jobs or settings where risk of a super-spreading event is high", including migrant workers, will be among the priority groups for Covid-19 vaccination, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong in a ministerial statement in Parliament on Monday. These include the construction, marine and process sector.

Addressing questions from multiple members of Parliament regarding Covid-19 vaccines, Mr Gan gave an overview of vaccination plans. Singapore has secured "enough vaccines for all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore", though the specific quantity ordered cannot be disclosed due to commercial sensitivities and confidentiality undertakings in Singapore's advance purchase agreements.

These will arrive in batches, and if all goes according to schedule, there will be enough vaccines for everyone by the third quarter of the year.

Groups that are most at-risk get priority. Vaccination has thus begun with healthcare workers and staff working in the healthcare sector.

Also prioritised will be Covid-19 frontline and other essential personnel. These include swabbers hired by the Health Promotion Board, and staff working at government quarantine facilities, community care facilities and dedicated Stay-Home Notice facilities.

As previously announced, the plan is then to start vaccinating the elderly and those at greater risk of severe disease from February, starting with those aged 70 and above. Those in jobs or settings with a high risk of super-spreading events will also get priority at this stage.

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

Thereafter, the vaccination programme will be progressively broadened to include other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible, said Mr Gan.

Prior bookings will be needed, given the cold-chain requirements and multi-dose vials in which vaccines are distributed. More information on how to make bookings will be provided later.

"As more vaccines are approved for use, we will adjust our vaccination programme, depending on the vaccine supply as well as the disease epidemiology at that point in time," said Mr Gan.

Vaccination is an important new line of defence in Singapore's Covid-19 strategy, and will be "a key enabler allowing us to return to normalcy", said Mr Gan, urging residents to get vaccinated once their turn arrives.

This national effort "will require considerable resources to implement" and is one key focus area this year, he said.