SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) is expanding the age range for people recommended to receive a second COVID-19 booster shot to include those aged 60 and above, the ministry announced on Wednesday (Aug 24).
The previous recommendation was for those aged 80 years and older.
At a multi-ministry task force press conference, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said about 80 per cent of the population has had a booster shot.
“This is a key reason why we could ride through the current BA.5 variant without tightening SMMs (safe distancing measures), without having many severe cases and without having our hospitals being overwhelmed,” he said.
“So to prepare for a possible year-end wave, we will have to expand our vaccination coverage.”
The first booster provides good protection against hospitalisation and severe COVID-19 in persons aged 60 to 79 years, MOH said.
However, the ministry expects the protection to gradually wane, given that it has been more than a year since the first booster was administered to this age group.
“We need to keep our vaccinations up-to-date, to prepare for possible future infection waves.”
MOH added that the latest evidence indicates that a second booster increased vaccine effectiveness against severe diseases from 94 per cent to 97 per cent for those aged 70 to 79.
For those aged 60 to 69, this effectiveness went up from 97 per cent to 98 per cent.
Based on this, MOH said it agreed with the recommendation by the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination (EC19V) for all people aged 60 and above to receive a second booster at least five months after their first booster.
People who are medically vulnerable are also encouraged to receive their second booster, MOH said, adding that it will continue to offer the second booster to all people aged 50 to 59.
All those eligible for their primary series vaccination, first booster or second booster may receive their doses by walking into any of the ten Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres located across Singapore.
Appointments can also be booked at these centres, participating Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs), or polyclinics via SMS invitations.
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The previous recommendation was for those aged 80 years and older.
At a multi-ministry task force press conference, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said about 80 per cent of the population has had a booster shot.
“This is a key reason why we could ride through the current BA.5 variant without tightening SMMs (safe distancing measures), without having many severe cases and without having our hospitals being overwhelmed,” he said.
“So to prepare for a possible year-end wave, we will have to expand our vaccination coverage.”
BETTER PROTECTION
The first booster provides good protection against hospitalisation and severe COVID-19 in persons aged 60 to 79 years, MOH said.
However, the ministry expects the protection to gradually wane, given that it has been more than a year since the first booster was administered to this age group.
“We need to keep our vaccinations up-to-date, to prepare for possible future infection waves.”
MOH added that the latest evidence indicates that a second booster increased vaccine effectiveness against severe diseases from 94 per cent to 97 per cent for those aged 70 to 79.
For those aged 60 to 69, this effectiveness went up from 97 per cent to 98 per cent.
Based on this, MOH said it agreed with the recommendation by the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination (EC19V) for all people aged 60 and above to receive a second booster at least five months after their first booster.
People who are medically vulnerable are also encouraged to receive their second booster, MOH said, adding that it will continue to offer the second booster to all people aged 50 to 59.
All those eligible for their primary series vaccination, first booster or second booster may receive their doses by walking into any of the ten Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres located across Singapore.
Appointments can also be booked at these centres, participating Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs), or polyclinics via SMS invitations.
Continue reading...