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MOH: Seniors & the medically vulnerable recommended to get updated Covid-19 vaccine doses from Oct. 28
"Other individuals aged 6 months and above who wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can continue to do so," said MOH.
October 26, 2024, 12:22 PM
The Ministry of Health (MOH) will roll out updated JN.1 Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and JN.1 Moderna/Spikevax vaccines from Oct. 28.
Individuals at increased risk of severe Covid-19, such as seniors and the medically vulnerable, should receive the initial vaccine dose if they are unvaccinated.
Those who have previously been vaccinated should also receive additional vaccine doses, as the Expert Committee for Immunisation (ECI) recommended.
MOH said the updated Covid-19 vaccines provide a stronger immune response against current and emerging strains compared to previous versions of the vaccines, and therefore confer better protection against Covid-19.
Recommended vaccine dosages for individuals
The severity of Covid-19 infection is low in the healthy general population since most of Singapore's local population has either taken the vaccine and/or been infected with Covid-19 and recovered safely, said MOH in a press release on Oct. 25.
Therefore ECI recommends that individuals at increased risk of severe Covid-19 should receive the vaccine, as they will benefit most from the increased protection.
This includes individuals aged 60 and above, medically vulnerable individuals aged six months and above, and residents of aged care facilities.
Healthcare workers and those living or working with medically vulnerable individuals are encouraged to get vaccinated.
"Other individuals aged six months and above who wish to receive the Covid-19 vaccine can continue to do so," said MOH.
Unvaccinated individuals from six months to four years old should receive two vaccine doses eight weeks apart, while those who are five years old and older should receive one vaccine dose.
This is reduced from the two doses previously recommended, as most in this population would have some level of protection from past Covid-19 infection.
Vaccinated individuals aged five months and above who are planning on getting an additional dose in 2024 or 2025 should have it around one year (and at least five months) after the last vaccine dose, MOH said.
JTVCs to close from Dec. 1, 2024
MOH also said that the five remaining Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres (JTVCs) at Bukit Merah, Jurong East, Kaki Bukit, Sengkang, and Woodlands will close from Dec. 1, 2024.
Those who wish to get their Covid-19 vaccinations at these locations may either book an appointment at this link or walk-in by Nov. 30, 2024.
MOH said while the JTVCs have served the public well in offering mass testing and vaccination services during the pandemic, close to 500 Healthier SG General Practitioner (GP) clinics and 10 polyclinics now offer Covid-19 vaccination in the community.
More Healthier SG GP clinics will also be onboarded to offer the Covid-19 vaccines.
Mobile vaccination teams offering the Covid-19 vaccines will continue to be deployed across the island, and the schedule of these teams' visits to various housing estates can be viewed here.
Covid-19 vaccination continues to be free for eligible individuals
Covid-19 vaccination continues to be free for all eligible individuals under the National Vaccination Programme.
Individuals can visit the GoWhere site for the nearest vaccination sites and the vaccine types offered.
An appointment can be booked at a Healthier SG GP clinic here or a polyclinic through the HealthHub booking system.
All vaccination locations offering the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and/or Moderna/Spikevax vaccines will begin administering the updated JN.1 vaccine from Oct. 28, 2024.
"Covid-19 waves will continue to occur from time to time and can cause severe disease among those who are older or medically vulnerable," said MOH, adding that it recommends everyone to remain updated with their vaccination based on the prevailing recommendations to increase their protection against severe disease.
Top image via Canva
