Singapore to offer booster shots of COVID vaccine to senior citizens & vulnerable groups

Singapore will start offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shot to people who are aged 60 and over, residents of nursing homes and those with suppressed immune systems. According to CNBC, the health ministry on Friday, September 3, said that older people will be eligible for a third dose six to nine months after their second dose, while those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised are recommended to receive boosters two months after their second dose. The ministry said that the groups were selected because they are at risk of getting infected with COVID-19 virus, and may have a weaker immune response from the first two doses of the vaccine. 

According to reports, seniors in Singapore will now be invited to register for their third dose via a text message, while health care officials will offer the third dose to those who are immunocompromised. The booster programme is expected to begin this month, the health ministry said. The MoH said that this is to ensure higher levels of protection from infection and continued high levels of protection against severe disease, and reduce the possibility of spikes in infections and more people falling severely ill. 

Singapore has one of the highest rates of vaccination in the world. According to the health ministry, Singapore's 80 per cent of people out of its 5.7 million population have received their full regimen of anti-COVID shots, making it the first country to have the highest vaccinated population. The nation achieved the maximum vaccination target by implementing a “zero transmission mode”. 

Increased testing amid rising cases of COVID-19

However, as COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in the city-state, officials have said that Singapore will hold further steps to reopen the country, while it monitors an increase in daily infections. But Finance Minister Lawrence Wong also added that Singapore sees no need to consider re-imposing heightened restrictions. He said that a tightened posture would only be taken as a last resort to prevent hospitals from being overcrowded. 

FM Wong said that authorities will continue with aggressive testing and contact tracing to slow down transmission and avoid uncontrollable surges in cases that could easily overwhelm the hospital system. His comments come as Singapore reported 216 locally transmitted cases on Friday. Singapore handled the COVID-19 crisis efficiently, as the citizens strictly followed the COVID restrictions. 

(Image: AP/Pixabay)