Covid-19 testing, treatment no longer fully subsidised from Apr 1; vaccines still free

COVID-19 medical subsidies will be scaled back as Singapore moves to treating it as an endemic disease, with financing support for testing and treatment to be aligned with that of other acute illnesses. Vaccination will continue to be free.

From Apr 1, there will no longer be a full subsidy for Covid-19 treatment in hospitals and Covid-19 Treatment Facilities, the multi-ministry taskforce on Covid-19 announced on Thursday (Feb 9). Instead, regular government subsidies and healthcare schemes such as MediShield Life and MediSave will apply.

The usual funding framework applies to all patients regardless of the vaccination status, said Health Minister and taskforce co-chair Ong Ye Kung. “I want to assure lower-income Singaporeans that financial assistance will always be available to them to help defray hospital bills.” 

Community Isolation Facilities (CIF) will no longer be required, though some will be maintained for Covid-19 patients who want to self-isolate “for valid reasons”, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a press release.

All occupants, including Singapore citizens, permanent residents (PRs) and long-term pass holders, will be charged for their stays. Citizens and PRs will not be able to pay CIF bills with government subsidies, Medishield Life or MediSave, as these isolation facilities are not medical facilities, MOH added.

In primary care settings such as polyclinics and general practitioner clinics, all patients must pay for any Covid-19 testing, subject to prevailing subsidies.

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But Covid-19 vaccines and oral antivirals will remain fully subsidised for eligible patients, including in primary care and other outpatient settings, ambulatory settings of public hospitals and nursing homes.

“These are important preventive steps and treatments to avoid severe disease and hospitalisations, and will remain an important part of living with Covid-19,” said MOH.

Patients with a higher risk of severe Covid-19, such as the immunocompromised and those with multiple, simultaneously-occurring medical conditions, can receive referrals from their doctors for free telemedicine support.

Vaccinations to protect against Covid-19 will also continue to be offered free to Singaporeans, PRs, long term pass holders and eligible short term pass holders, under the National Vaccination Programme.

“Today, around 83 per cent of our population have achieved minimum protection. Around half are up to date with their vaccinations with additional boosters,” said Ong.

“In Singapore, we have very strong hybrid immunity. We estimate close to 90 per cent of residents here have already gotten Covid.”

The health ministry will continue to deploy mobile vaccination teams to heartland locations, for three days at each location, from Feb 15 to Apr 2 2023.

It also announced updated guidelines from the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination. Everyone five years old and above should achieve at least minimum protection: three doses of mRNA or Novavax vaccine, or four doses of Sinovac vaccine.

Those at higher risk of severe disease from Covid – that is, those aged 60 years and above, medically vulnerable individuals and residents of aged care facilities – are recommended to take a booster about one year after their previous booster dose.

The recommendation for this group is “essentially (for an) annual booster, very much like influenza”, said Ong. It marks a change from the previous recommendation, for them to take a booster five to 12 months after the last booster dose.

For added protection, a booster dose will also be offered to those aged 12 to 59 who are healthy around one year after their last booster dose, despite their lower risk. Those between five and 11 years old are neither recommended nor eligible for additional vaccine doses.

Children six months to four years continue to be recommended to complete two doses of Moderna/SpikeVax or three doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccines, and remain ineligible for additional doses.

Vaccination requirements for new applications for permanent residence, long-term passes and work passes will remain. They will also still apply for the renewal of selected work permit and S Pass holders in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors or residing in dormitories. Also with effect from Apr 1, applicants who recently recovered from Covid-19 will no longer be given temporary exemption from Covid-19 vaccination requirements.