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The first shipment of paediatric doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine is en route from Europe and is expected to arrive in Singapore on Dec. 22, 2021, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) in a statement on Dec. 21.

This will enable MOH to start vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11 years in end-December "as planned", said the ministry.

MOH added that the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Covid-19 paediatric vaccine has met quality, safety and efficacy standards and has been approved by the Health Sciences Authority for use in children aged 5 to 11 years.

The Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination has also recommended its use for this age group, MOH said.

Further details to be announced by MOE, ECDA

MOH also said it is working with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) on details on the rollout of vaccination for this age group.

"Further operational details will be announced shortly by MOE and ECDA," said MOH.

"Vaccinations and boosters are the best protection against Covid-19. The extension of vaccination to include children aged 5 to 11 years will strengthen our collective resilience against the evolving Covid-19 situation," said the ministry.

Health minister Ong Ye Kung also put out a Facebook post regarding the announcement:

Vaccination for those in Primary 3-5 to begin first

Education minister Chan Chun Sing previously said that if the delivery of vaccine doses is on schedule, vaccination appointments will be opened up as soon as next week, and the vaccination exercise will start from end-Dec. 2021, with vaccination for those in Primary 3-5 to begin first.

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Top image by Pfizer, via MOH

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