Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that they will monitor the sale of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccination slots online, and take enforcement action, if necessary.

This was after listings of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccination slots had surfaced on the online marketplace, Carousell.

Exploiting the situation

Responding to media queries from Mothership, a spokesperson from the health ministry clarified on Aug. 22 that the ministry had yet to receive any complaints relating to such listings.

However, the spokesperson said that the ministry will monitor for such acts and take enforcement action where warranted.

The provision of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is a private arrangement between individuals and approved private healthcare institutions.

"Nonetheless, individuals with booking slots should not exploit the situation and take advantage of people who want to be vaccinated," the ministry spokesperson said.

Approved private healthcare institutions are also responsible for the screening of individuals.

They should ensure that each individual is clinically assessed to be suitable to receive the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccination, according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and the Health Sciences Authority’s Special Access Route requirements.

Carousell listings

The demand for Sinovac vaccination slots likely surged after MOH announced on Aug. 10 that all 200,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines were either fully allocated to the 31 approved private healthcare institutions, or reserved by the ministry.

It was also previously reported that some approved clinics in Singapore were overwhelmed with bookings

On Aug. 18, there were four listings by individuals looking to purchase a Sinovac vaccination slot from Carousell, as reported by The Straits Times (ST).

The bidders were offering prices upwards of S$50, in exchange for a Sinovac vaccination slot.

Separately, on Aug. 19, Mothership found a listing by an individual who was willing to forgo his/her vaccination appointment slot for S$50.

The listing, dated back to July 2021, was marked as sold by the individual.

A Carousell spokesperson told Mothership that the listings of vaccination slots have been removed as they are strictly prohibited. This is in accordance to the platform's guidelines on listings related to public health.

Related stories:

https://mothership.sg/2021/08/sinovac-carousell-singapore/H

Top image screenshot from Carousell and from Getty

Follow and listen to our podcast here