Zhi Hao, Author at Goody Feed

Thought you were done with your second jab? News flash; your needle-protruding 'extravaganza' might not have come to an end. Yes, folks, I'm terribly sorry to announce that in spite of what we previously believed... A third jab may still be in order. Booster Shots It was previously thought that only seniors would need a vaccine booster shot. But it seems that the recent spike in cases has led the relevant authorities to perceive otherwise. Lest you're unaware, seniors aged 60 and above will need to go through Covid-19 booster shots. Scheduled to take place from this month, invites will supposedly be issued to eligible seniors in two weeks' time. Much to the chagrin of many loose-toothed seniors, I'm sure. But here's the thing: younger adults may need to receive the jabs too. Younger Adults in S'pore Might Need A 3rd COVID-19 Vaccine Shot In an update on Monday (6 Sept), Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, who doubles as the co-chairman of the multi-ministry task force, did not reject the possibility of boosters for younger adults. In fact, he was of the opinion that such booster shots would be of beneficial value, not only to younger adults but to society as well. "This will not only protect them but also help to slow down transmission and further reduce the R-value." For the record, R does not stand for Running Man but instead refers to the average number of personnel that one infected person would transmit the virus to. You Can Thank The Recent Increase The notion was also contemplated upon the recent emergence of cases, which saw infections rise from 600 in the week before to 1,200 last week. "Thus, we need to take quick action now to dampen the increasing likelihood of an exponential increase in cases," Mr Wong said. "This will also buy us time to get more people, in particular seniors, vaccinated as soon as possible, and also to roll out our booster programme to those aged 60 and above." The Ministry of Health has previously stated that seniors should be given a booster dose of mRNA vaccine around six to nine months after the completion of their two-dose vaccination procedure. Should younger adults have to go through the same thing, it's likely to be within the same time frame as well. On a separate note, will you be considered fully vaccinated if you took the two full shots, but didn't go for the third? Well, according to Straits Times, the answer is yes. At least for now, since as we all know, COVID-19 changes things easily. New Measures In a bid to curb the recent spread in Covid-19, the Government has introduced several new measures. Now, once a cluster of cases is identified, in addition to the quarantine of close contacts, MOH will send out Health Risk Warnings (HRW) and Health Risk Alerts (HRA) to individuals to cast a wide net around the cases, and to contain the clusters quickly. With more cases circulating in the community, there will also be more people being issued such HRWs or HRAs. HRW and HRA are not quarantine orders. However, individuals who receive an HRW will be required by law to get a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and self-isolate until they receive a negative result from their first test. They will also be required to do ART tests thereafter, and a PCR test on the 14th day. Individuals who receive an HRA are not subject to actions required by the law but are strongly encouraged to go for a PCR test as soon as possible. For both HRW and HRA, individuals should reduce their social interactions for 14 days. Tougher Action Against Employers In addition, tougher action will be taken if there are positive cases amongst workers who are infected. In particular, employers will be required to put in place a maximum Work-From-Home (WFH) requirement over a 14 day period (now, up to 50% of employees can work in their workplace), should one or more of their workers be found to have contracted COVID-19 and have returned to their workplace. This means that everyone in the company who can WFH will be required to do so. You can read more about the new measures here. Read Also: Changes To COVID-19 Rules Simplified For You Social Gatherings in Workplace Banned from 8 Sept & People Now Encouraged to Stay Home Feature Image: Nakornthai / Shutterstock.com