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So far, more than 379,000 people in Singapore have received at least their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, of which 217,000 have already gotten the second dose and are fully vaccinated, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced in a press release on Monday (Mar. 8).

MOH also announced that the timeline of Singapore's vaccine schedule for seniors between ages 60 and 69 will be brought forward, and that vaccinations will be progressively extended to other groups such as teachers, hawkers, and migrant workers.

Seniors aged 60 to 69 will receive invitation letters in next few days

Island-wide vaccinations for seniors aged 70 years and older began on Feb. 22.

To date, more than 55,000 seniors have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while another 96,000 have made their appointments to receive their first dose in the coming weeks, MOH said.

Invitation letters have been sent to all seniors aged 70 and above, and MOH said that they are making steady progress in vaccinating this group.

However, MOH announced on Monday that because more vaccine supplies have arrived, the ministry will bring forward the vaccination of seniors aged 60 to 69, which had previously been slated for the end of March.

MOH said that all seniors within that age group should receive their invitation letters in the next few days.

Each letter will have a weblink to register for vaccination. After that, an SMS with a unique booking link will be sent to the senior's cell phone, for them to book the vaccination appointment.

Seniors also have the option to book their appointments for vaccination at any community centre or club islandwide.

Vaccinating delivery personnel who enter S'pore from M'sia regularly

MOH also added that starting later this month, vaccinations will be offered to select cargo drivers and accompanying personnel who enter Singapore from Malaysia on a regular basis to deliver essential goods, in order to minimise risk of transmission risks.

Those who are eligible for vaccination will be notified via a personalised SMS from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and will then be contacted for an appointment to undergo vaccination at designated sites in Singapore.

Delivery personnel who are not vaccinated may continue to enter Singapore, subject to the prevailing infection control measures such as on-arrival testing and corresponding safe management measures.

Vaccinations to be extended to more groups of essential workers

The Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination had previously called for healthcare workers, nursing home staff and residents, and people involved in Covid-19 operations to be prioritised for the vaccine.

The committee had also recommended that frontline workers at higher risk of exposure to Covid-19, such as those working in the aviation and maritime sectors, be prioritised.

MOH has been progressively offering vaccinations to essential services staff, such as:

• Security agencies that safeguard Singapore's borders, like ICA officers
• Staff involved in the provision of utilities such as water, energy, and telecommunication services
• Workers who ensure the supply of essential food and household items

MOH said that as more vaccine stocks arrive, the ministry will extend vaccination to other essential staff involved in other critical functions, such as postmen and delivery staff, news reporters, and bank operation staff engaged in critical banking and financial systems operations.

Extension to higher-risk groups such as hawkers

Taxi and private-hire car drivers began getting vaccinated on Feb. 23, as they are at higher risk of exposure to Covid-19.

Going forward, MOH is extending vaccination to people who interact with many members of the community.

These include people working in hawker centres and markets such as stallholders and stall assistants, and in the food delivery industry.

Vaccinating teachers and education staff

In addition, MOH will begin vaccinating educators and staff who come into prolonged contact with children and youth.

In a joint press release with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced on Monday (Mar. 8) that vaccinations for staff in the education sector will begin on Wednesday (Mar. 10).

It will be progressively offered to over 150,000 personnel in the following educational institutions:

• Preschools licensed by the ECDA, MOE Kindergartens, and Foreign System Kindergartens registered by MOE
• Early Intervention centres/programmes (funded by or registered with ECDA) for children with developmental needs, aged 6 and under
• Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges, and Millennia Institute
• Special Education schools
• Institute of Technical Education (ITE)
• Polytechnics
• Private Schools registered with MOE with full-time students below 18 years old
• Private Education Institutions (including international schools) with full-time students below 18 years old
• Madrasahs

Getting educators and adult staff vaccinated will protect both them and their students and ensure that schools and education institutions remain safe places for learning, both MOH and MOE said, since the current vaccines are not certified for children under the age of 16.

The vaccination exercise will also include other individuals who work within these institutions and come into regular contact with students, such as administrative staff, adjunct staff, school-based and community-based student care centre staff, special student care centre staff, and canteen/bookshop vendors.

Eligible individuals will be informed of the vaccination schedule by the relevant government agencies and will receive a personalised SMS from MOH notifying them to book their vaccination appointments at vaccine.gov.sg.

Covid-19 vaccination will be available at all vaccination centres, all polyclinics, and selected Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs).

Vaccinating migrant workers

MOH will also begin Covid-19 vaccinations for migrant workers, starting with 10,000 workers who have never been infected with Covid-19 and who are living in Singapore's five largest dormitories.

Vaccinations for migrant workers will be conducted on-site at the five dormitories.

Vaccination will then be progressively made available to other migrant workers.

Workers who have been completely vaccinated can be subjected to a lower frequency of Covid-19 testing, with testing occurring every 28 days instead of the current 14-day cycle.

Vaccination to be systematically extended to others starting April

MOH said that vaccinations will be systematically extended to other segments of the population starting from April.

"All Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore will have the chance to be vaccinated," the Ministry wrote.

MOH emphasised that while Covid-19 vaccination is voluntary, Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible are "strongly encourage[d]" to be vaccinated when it is their turn.

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Top photo by Juan Ezwan.