SINGAPORE: From Jan 27, the Government will begin to vaccinate seniors in the community against COVID-19, starting with pilots in Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar, where larger numbers of seniors reside, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Friday (Jan 22).
Vaccinations will be progressively rolled out to seniors across the island from mid-February, he added, in what he described as Singapore’s “largest” vaccination in its history.
AdvertisementAdvertisementCurrently, seniors nursing homes have already begun to receive their vaccinations.
Selected seniors in the community will receive letters inviting them to make an appointment for their vaccinations.
Those in Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar will be able to make their appointments from Jan 25 onwards, said Mr Gan, who was speaking at a multi-ministry taskforce on COVID-19 news conference.
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For the pilots in Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar, the Government will set up two vaccination centres at Teck Ghee Community Club and Tanjong Pagar Community Club by Feb 1.
"The vaccination centres will be set up over the next few weeks to ensure that all seniors can conveniently receive their vaccinations at a centre near to where they live, and vaccination centres will be located in high population catchment areas and along public transport routes for greater accessibility," the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a press release.
Community volunteers from the People’s Association and Silver Generation Ambassadors will conduct house visits and tap on existing grassroots events to answer queries and help seniors book appointments if necessary. Seniors in Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar can go to their respective community clubs to seek assistance as well.
AdvertisementSeniors will receive information sheets with more details on the COVID-19 vaccine and the vaccination process, said MOH.
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Singapore has been making “steady progress” with its vaccination efforts, with more than 60,000 people receiving their first dose as of Friday afternoon, said Mr Gan.
This includes seniors in nursing homes and staff working in healthcare, nursing homes, frontline and essential services.
On Jan 20 alone, Singapore vaccinated close to 10,000 people.
“So far, all vaccination centres are up and running across Singapore and we are preparing to open more even as we speak,” he said.
Thirty-nine staff members from the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) have also received their second dose of the vaccine and completed the full vaccination regime. They will build up “maximum protection” against COVID-19 in two weeks times, said MOH.
Mr Gan said that although there might be some delays to shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines due to Pfizer’s manufacturing plant upgrading, the Government will continue to monitor supplies closely to ensure that there will be enough vaccines for all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore by the end of the year.
“While we have made steady progress on the vaccination front, we must remember that the journey is far from over. Vaccination is about one of a whole suite of measures that must work hand-in-hand to keep transmissions low,” he said.
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