SINGAPORE - Members of the public who are awaiting their second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine can now opt to get it earlier, as Singapore ramps up its vaccination exercise.
Checks by The Straits Times found that several people who were able to book their second jab only about six to eight weeks after their first jab are now able to shorten the interval to four weeks.
ST has contacted the Ministry of Health (MOH) for more details about this change.
The move by the ministry to shorten the interval between the two vaccine jabs comes earlier than expected.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said last week that if vaccine supplies continue to arrive as planned, most of the population who are willing to take the vaccine will have received their first dose by the second half of July.
Once this target has been met, MOH will then review the current interval between doses of six to eight weeks and reduce it to four weeks.
The authorities had in May lengthened the interval between doses to prioritise giving out the first dose and accord some protection to as many in the population as possible.
The option for shortened intervals between the first and second jabs was first flagged by a user on social media platform Reddit early on Tuesday morning (June 29).
An IT consultant who only wanted to be known as Mr Chai, 28, said he moved his appointment on Tuesday morning after seeing the Reddit post.
He was due to have his second Moderna Covid-19 jab at Marsiling Community Centre on July 27, but brought it forward by 13 days to July 14.
"I brought it forward because I wanted to get it over and done with quickly," said Mr Chai.
"It also seems like there will be more freedom for vaccinated people, such as not having to go for swab tests when attending events."
Accounts executive Sharon Soh, 28, on Tuesday afternoon also moved her appointment forward, by one week to Aug 6.
She had received her first Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine jab at Chua Chu Kang Community Club on June 28, and was initially set to get the second jab six weeks later.
But she brought it forward after taking into account the health of her three-month-old daughter.
"I don't want to get infected and end up passing on the Covid-19 virus to her, so I wanted to get protection for myself as soon as possible," she said.
Meanwhile, undergraduate Valerie Ong, 20, managed to reschedule her vaccination appointment to Wednesday, from July 11. She had called MOH four days ago to ask if she could reschedule her second jab, and they contacted her on Tuesday afternoon to confirm that she could do so.
She was due to fly to the United States for studies on July 18, and did not want to run the risk of having to travel while dealing with the vaccine’s side effects.
Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious diseases specialist from the Rophi Clinic at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre, said it was important to complete the two Covid-19 vaccine doses as quickly as possible, given that there is a risk of falling sick between the first and second dose.
He noted that studies have shown that completing one dose of the two-dose vaccine regime would just afford about 30 per cent protection against the Delta variant of the Covid-19 virus, as compared to the 88 per cent afforded by completing both doses.
Those who want to check if they can change the date of their second dose can do so at the Covid-19 vaccination appointment booking website with their booking code and ID.
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