The wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Ho Ching, has claimed that she caught Covid-19 from visitors during the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.

In a Facebook post on Jan. 6, Ho said that she was going for her bivalent Covid-19 jab in a week and that the timing for it was "a bit" delayed due to her infection.

F1 was attended by over 302,000 people

According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), over 302,000 spectators attended 2022's race over three days in October after it was cancelled in the previous two years due to the pandemic.

About 49 per cent of attendees were foreign visitors.

The previous record attendance of 300,000 was set in 2008 during the country's inaugural race.

In January 2022, the Singapore Tourism Board and the Singapore Grand Prix announced a new seven-year deal which will see the country continue to host Formula 1 at least until 2028.

According to MTI, the race has generated S$1.5 billion in incremental tourism receipts since 2008.

Anyone can walk into a vaccination centre without the need for an appointment as of Jan. 4, 2023

Earlier on Jan. 4, 2023, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that all eligible individuals getting their Covid-19 vaccinations and boosters can walk into any Joint Testing and Vaccination Centre (JTVC) or Children Vaccination Centre (CVC) without the need for an appointment, from Mondays to Saturdays.

In addition, the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine for children aged six months to four years will be offered at JTVC Ang Mo Kio and JTVC Bukit Merah, starting from Jan. 16.

The announcement was also shared by Ho on Facebook, who said that the public only needed to bring their ID card, or birth certificates in the case of children, when entering a vaccination centre.

In the case of polyclinics and Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC) GPs, an appointment is still required, except for those who are aged 80 or above.

For children aged 12 or below, they need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Ho also encouraged the public to get the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty toddler vaccine for their children.

She said that this vaccine requires three shots of three micrograms each, eight weeks apart, which provides "excellent" protection against Omicron.

The alternative is the Moderna vaccine which provides 50 micrograms in total for two shots, with less efficacy.

If parents opt for the Moderna vaccine, they should be prepared at some point that a third shot might be needed as a booster, she added.

Ho said:

"For parents who are anxious or whose toddlers have some underlying risks, go for the Moderna now.

Others can wait till Jan. 16 when the smaller Pfizer dose will be available."

Left photo via Ho Ching/Facebook, right photo via Singapore Grand Prix/Facebook