[:en]Singapore started the COVID-19 vaccination program on 30th December, starting with healthcare workers from the National Centre of Infectious Diseases (NCID).
The vaccination jointly produced by Pfizer and BioNTech requires two injections, 21 days apart. Pfizer concluded from a large trial that the vaccine is 95% effective in preventing illness from COVID-19.
Are there side effects from the vaccine?
Common side effects reported:
These are expected side effects due to the immune response stimulated by the vaccination.
More rarely, there were a small number of reports of severe allergic reactions. Therefore, if you receive the vaccination, you will be monitored in the clinic or hospital for at least 30 minutes to ensure that there are no serious side effects from the vaccination.
Who is in priority for the vaccine?
As the healthcare workers at NCID look after patients with COVID-19, they are at higher risk and therefore given priority for the vaccine. Other public healthcare and private hospital staff are the next group targeted for vaccination.
People aged 70 and above – who are at higher risk of complications and mortality if they contract COVID-19 infection – are encouraged to take the vaccination. The Ministry of Health (MOH) aims to start vaccination for this group of people from February 2021.
Subsequently, other Singaporeans and long-term residents will be able to take the vaccination.
Currently, the vaccine is not recommended for children under the age of 16, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.
Herd immunity is achieved if a high proportion of the population takes up the vaccination. It will also indirectly protect those who are not able to be vaccinated, as the chain of transmission is broken once the majority of the population are no longer susceptible to COVID-19 infection.[:]
Newsletter
