S'poreans can now choose which vaccine to take by choosing which vaccination site to visit

Pick which centre you want.

Sulaiman Daud | April 13, 2021, 10:08 PM

Singaporeans can now choose which Covid-19 vaccine they would like to take by referring to a list on the Ministry of Health's website.

The list shows all the vaccination centres grouped by location, along with the type of Covid-19 vaccine the centre distributes.

Currently, only the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been approved by the authorities for use in Singapore.

Screenshot from MOH website.

The report by the Straits Times on April 13 states, "people are able to pick which vaccination centre or polyclinic they wish to go to", although supplies may be limited at a particular location.

Each vaccination centre will only stock and administer one type of vaccine. People must select the same vaccination centre for both their first and second appointments, when making a booking through the national appointment system.

Currently, Singaporeans aged 45 to 59 can register themselves to get a vaccine.

Previously not allowed to choose vaccine

Earlier in January 2021, both co-chairs of Multi-Ministry Taskforce (MTF) for Singapore's Covid-19 response Gan Kim Yong and Lawrence Wong said that said that individuals are not allowed to choose what kind of vaccine they will receive.

Gan explained that it will "unnecessarily complicate this already complex vaccination programme".

At the time, only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was approved for use.

Separately, Wong also added that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines worked similarly and efficacy rates around the world were about the same.

"I think at this point in time, we have Pfizer only, there's nothing to choose from. So let's go with Pfizer, get people vaccinated on the Pfizer vaccine,” he said in an interview with Talking Point.

However, he also said that the choice of vaccine would be calibrated with more data in the future.

Both MTF co-chairs said that Singapore's vaccine supplies will not be rationed or saved for those who elect not to take the vaccine and are adopting a wait-and-see approach.

Mothership has contacted MOH for comment.

Related stories:

Top image from MOH's Facebook page.