Singapore: Starting from Saturday (October 30), individuals can make appointments for Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccination at the Raffles City Convention Center. From Sunday, senior citizens can enter without an appointment.
The ministry said in a press release on Saturday: “This will greatly expand the capacity of private clinics and public medical institutions that manage Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine on behalf of the Ministry of Health (MOH).”
Last week, the COVID-19 multi-ministerial working group announced that the Sinovac vaccine will be included in the national vaccination plan.
Those who have not been vaccinated at all can register their interest from Saturday, while those who have received at least one dose of Sinovac vaccine can complete their three-dose program at any authorized private clinic. If they have not done so, they can book the remaining appointments from Monday.
The Ministry of Health stated that those who cannot receive or complete the mRNA vaccination due to medical reasons are “encouraged to receive Sinovac-CoronaVac”.
WALK-IN FOR MODERNA BOOSTER
In a press release on Saturday, the Ministry of Health also announced that starting Monday, people 30 years and older will be able to go to any of the nine Moderna vaccination centers to receive booster doses.
Those who can walk in are Singaporeans, permanent residents, and long-term pass holders aged 30 and above who completed the second dose six months ago.
It is recommended that people who receive the booster dose do not need to receive the same vaccine as the first two doses, which means that people who have received the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine can receive the Moderna vaccine for the third dose.
The Ministry of Health said: “We encourage all eligible people who have not taken the booster dose to come forward. As we coexist with COVID-19, this is the best protection for you and your loved ones.”
Among the nine vaccination centers that provide Moderna vaccines are community clubs in Buona Vista, Hong Kah, Kebun Baru and Potong Pasir.
Punggol 21 Community Club and Radin Mas, Tampines East, Woodlands and Yew Tee community clubs also provide this service.
The Ministry of Manpower will arrange for all migrant workers living in dormitories and workers in the construction, marine and processing sectors to be vaccinated.
MOH STUDY ON BOOSTER EFFECTIVENESS
The Ministry of Health stated that since the start of the booster program on September 14, the authorities have seen “people who are eligible to receive the booster dose receive the booster dose healthily.”
As of October 27, among the people who were invited to vaccinate booster, 80.2% of people aged 60 and over, 92.7% of people aged 50 to 59, and 75.1% of people aged 30 to 49 had received booster. Agent or appointment.
The Ministry of Health stated: “The Ministry of Health has studied the positive rates of COVID-19 infection between individuals who have received a booster dose and individuals who have not yet received a booster dose of fully vaccinated.”
The study found that the enhanced dose “can further reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by 70% and the risk of severe infection by 90%.”
In addition, for people receiving two doses of the vaccine, the vaccine is 40% to 60% effective against infections and more than 90% effective against serious diseases.
“Therefore, in addition to the protection against COVID-19 that the two doses of the mRNA vaccine already provide, the booster also provides significant protection,” the Ministry of Health said.
According to the Ministry of Health, compared with unvaccinated individuals, those who are fully vaccinated and boosted can benefit from the effectiveness of the vaccine against COVID-19 infection by 80% or more, which is approximately 99%.
In the study conducted between September 15 and October 22, more than 685,000 fully vaccinated seniors over the age of 60 were eligible to receive booster doses.
