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The Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced that people aged 50 and above can walk into any vaccination centre offering mRNA jabs to receive their second Covid-19 booster shot from Jun. 10.

The expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination has found that those aged 50 to 59 who wish to get a second booster shot can do so about five months after receiving their first booster.

“This is in view of data indicating that the risk of severe Covid-19 increases in the age group of 50 to 59 as well,” MOH said. "This is also around the age when chronic diseases start to set in."

They shared similar findings for those aged 60 to 79 on Apr. 22 , which is also when they allowed for those who fall within the age range to receive their second booster shot.

Process simplified for medically vulnerable people with specific health conditions

From Jul. 1, medically vulnerable people with specific health conditions, such as chronic diseases of the heart and lungs will also be able to receive their second booster shot even if they do not have a doctor's referral.

They may do so after declaring their conditions, and details on the template of the self-declaration form will be announced on MOH's website in the coming weeks.

Wider interval between first two Covid-19 vaccine jabs may offer more protection

MOH shared:

“Recent international data has shown that a wider gap of eight weeks between the initial two doses of Covid-19 primary series vaccinations may provide better vaccine protection for individuals."

This means that those receiving their first two vaccinations are encouraged to space their doses eight weeks apart. The minimum interval between the first two doses remains at 21 days for the Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccines.

The minimum interval between the first two doses of the Moderna/Spikevax and Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccines is 28 days.

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Top image via @isengrapher/Unsplash