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The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will be working with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to extend the national vaccination programme to cover over 300,000 children in Singapore aged five to 11.

According to a joint press release by MOE and ECDA, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has approved the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine for use in children here above age of five.

Booking for appointments will begin on Dec. 22 and will be open to all children who are Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders.

HSA-approved

The press release added that Phase 3 of the clinical trial of the vaccine has shown that the vaccine is safe and effective for children in this age group, with the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination assessing that the benefits "far outweigh" the risks.

This makes the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine the only vaccine approved for children aged five to 11 in Singapore.

With regard to youth aged 12 to 19, MOE and ECDA noted that 94 per cent have completed their vaccination regime.

15 designated paediatric vaccination centres to be established

To facilitate the vaccination of younger children, 15 designated paediatric vaccination centres located island-wide will progressively begin operations, with seven of them to begin operations from Dec. 27.

These seven centres are:

• Senja-Cashew Community Club,
• Nanyang Community Club,
• Our Tampines Hub,
• Pasir Ris Elias Community Club,
• Woodlands Galaxy Community Club,
• Nee Soon East Community Club, and
• Hougang Community Club.

Another seven will commence operations beginning from Jan. 3, 2022.

They are:

• Clementi Community Centre,
• Former Hong Kah Secondary School,
• Queenstown Community Centre,
• Toa Payoh West Community Club,
• Jalan Besar Community Club,
• Marine Parade Community Club, and
• The Serangoon Community Club.

The remaining centre, Yusof Ishak Secondary School (Punggol Campus), will commence operation on Jan. 11, 2022.

All 15 centres will be manned by medical personnel trained in paediatric care, as well as staff trained in administering vaccination for children.

How will the programme be rolled out?

The registration process for the vaccination exercise will open progressively to all eligible children broadly by age bands, starting with children born between 2009 to 2012, followed by those born between 2013 to 2017.

Children must have crossed their fifth birthday before they are eligible to book an appointment and receive the vaccination.

In addition, to facilitate vaccination for those who are enrolled in MOE primary schools, MOE has arranged to send an SMS invitation to their parents or guardians to expedite the vaccination booking process by primary level cohorts.

Dec 22: P4-P6 students in MOE schools are eligible

Starting from Dec. 22, all Primary 4 to Primary 6 students (in 2022) studying in MOE schools are eligible.

Parents and guardians of these students can expect to progressively receive an SMS invitation with a unique link to book a vaccination appointment.

Dec 27: All children aged nine to 11 are eligible

From Dec. 27 onwards, the MOH National Appointment System (NAS) will open up for parents and guardians of all children aged nine to 11 (defined to be those born between 2009 to 2012 ) to register their interest to vaccinate their child or ward.

After registration, they can expect to receive a unique link via SMS within three to five working days to book a vaccination appointment.

Jan. 3: P1-P3 students in MOE schools are eligible

From the week of Jan. 3, 2022, parents or guardians of Primary 1 to 3 students (in 2022) in MOE primary schools can expect to progressively receive a unique link via SMS to book a vaccination appointment.

Jan 10: All children aged 5 and above are eligible

Beginning from Jan. 10, parents and guardians of all children aged five and above may proceed to register their interest on the NAS.

After registration, parents or guardians can expect to receive a unique link via SMS within three tofive working days to book a vaccination appointment.

Jan 12: Special arrangements to be made for MOE Special Education schools

As for children in Special Education schools and ECDA-funded Early Intervention Programme for Infants and Children (EIPIC) centres, MOH will deploy mobile vaccination teams to these schools for all eligible students from Jan. 12, 2022.

Parents or guardians may either opt for their child to receive the vaccination via these mobile vaccination teams, or register their interest on the NAS for their child to receive the vaccination at a paediatric vaccination centre.

The Special Education schools and EIPIC centres will also share registration instructions and guidelines with the parents and guardians of these children.

As for parents and guardians of children with special and developmental needs who do not attend these institutions, such as those from Private Early Intervention centres or are home-schooled, they may register their interest on the NAS when their children’s respective age bands are eligible for registration.

Parental consent is required for vaccination and one of them must accompany their child for the appointment

Parental consent is required to book a vaccination appointment for both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccine.

All children aged five to 11 must also be accompanied by only one parent or guardian at the vaccination centre for their appointment, to ensure compliance with safe distancing measures.

Parents and guardians should also bring along their child/ward’s Student Identification, or if not available, other forms of identification (e.g. Birth Certificate/ Passport/ SingPass) during the vaccination appointment for verification purposes.

Those who registered their interest on the NAS will also be required to sign a consent form, found on the NAS, and bring along a hardcopy or softcopy to the centre for verification.

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Top photo via Chan Chun Sing Facebook