Employers should lead by example to boost Covid-19 vaccine take-up rate

SINGAPORE - the first country in Asia to receive doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last month - is now in the fourth week of its vaccination programme, a labourious but extremely important exercise to get as many of the 5.7 million-strong population inoculated against Covid-19 as possible.

While the decision to get the free jab or not remains purely voluntary, the government has strongly encouraged everyone who is medically eligible to get vaccinated when their turn arrives. There will be enough doses for all citizens and long-term residents by the third quarter of this year.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong - the co-chair of the government's multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 - has said the target is to have as high a take-up rate as possible. Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, the country's chief health scientist and chairman of the Committee of Government Scientific Advisors, hopes to see at least 80 per cent of the population getting the shot.