Ong Ye Kung: Booster Shots Against COVID-19 May Begin Around CNY 2022

We’ve all heard the news that COVID-19 will very likely become endemic and that we’re just going to have to live with it.

This means that vaccinations are becoming increasingly important.

Given this, it’s understandable that many are anxiously waiting for their turn at second doses and booster shots—some haven’t even gotten their first dose of the vaccine.

However, it looks like there’s still going to be quite a wait till we reach the time for booster shots.

Booster Shots May Begin Around CNY Next Year 

On Thursday (8 July), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said that booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccine may begin around Chinese New Year next year.

Mr Ong had been broadcasting live on social media platform Instagram, responding to questions by members of the public about living with COVID-19.

During the broadcast, Mr Ong had been asked by members of the public if booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccine could be expected in the near future.

Replying that those who are fully vaccinated most likely need booster shots and that the authorities are looking into this.

Mr Ong added, people may be allowed to take booster shots around Chinese New Year next year if booster shots are truly needed.

This means that getting booster shots may take place in February next year.

Are Booster Shots Necessary?

Currently, it is unconfirmed whether booster shots are needed.

Vaccine developers Pfizer and BioNTech have plans to roll out vaccine boosters due to data gathered suggesting that boosters will be needed six months or more from initial shots due to the emergence of variants.

However, on Thursday, US federal agencies announced that people in America who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need booster shots.

According to Mr Ong, the boosters may be needed to increase immunity and better fight against new variants that may emerge, given that the vaccines are effective for between one and two years.

“The Chinese New Year in February next year will be about a year after the (national vaccination drive) was launched. That may be when people would start to take the booster shots,” Mr Ong, who is also the co-chair of the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force, said.

Current vaccine supplies are enough to vaccinate the population, but Singapore might need to order more if booster shots are needed, added Mr Ong.

Starting with healthcare workers, Singapore’s vaccination programme began in December last year. The programme used the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna mRNA vaccines, giving most participants the option to choose either of the two.

Singapore’s director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, said in April that those who have been fully vaccinated may be protected for 15 to 18 months.

The co-chairs—comprising of Mr Ong, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong—of the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force had earlier warned that Singapore may have to sustain a comprehensive, multi-year vaccination as COVID-19 becomes endemic around the world.

Early last month, the co-chairs had announced their broad plans for the new normal with COVID-19 in The Straits Times. 

They had also added in their plans that booster shots might be required in the future to sustain a high level of protection.

Singapore Medical Association president Tan Yea Swam had said in a Straits Times report on 26 June that recommendations regarding the need for regular booster shots will be made once more data on the long-term effectiveness of the vaccines are available.

Different Type of Vaccine for Booster Shot not Impossible

Mr Ong also said during his Instagram live session that the authorities have not ruled out the possibility of using another type of vaccine for the booster shots.

Meaning, one need not necessarily stick with Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty shots for the booster.

Mixing vaccines is believed to be feasible, added Mr Ong, saying that authorities locally and aboard are studying the effectiveness of mixing vaccines.

It was reported by The Straits Times last month that some countries were planning to use different vaccines for first and second doses. This was due to either concern over sufficient supply of vaccines, or side effects linked to a particular vaccine.

So far, Canada has already approved people receiving the first shot of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to get a different vaccine for their second dose.

According to experts, mixing vaccines should work well to prevent COVID-19 infections. However, the actual efficacy rate of protection when vaccines are used this way remains unknown by scientists. Different immune responses could be triggered by different vaccines in different ways.

Professor Mak had said earlier on Wednesday (7 July) that those who have taken the Sinovac or other types of vaccines, and still take mRNA vaccines if they wish to do so. However, he also added that data on the effectiveness of using two different vaccines are still lacking.

Travelling in the New Normal 

Those who have been fully vaccinated will be the first in line to travel abroad for leisure, said Mr Ong in response to questions about travel in his Instagram live session.

“If you have been vaccinated, you can imagine that one day you can fly to Germany to watch football without having to quarantine, and you don’t need to be put on stay-home notice after returning to Singapore. You only need to be tested for Covid-19,” said Mr Ong.

Now that is a good dream for the future.

“If you want to travel, it’s best to get vaccinated first. When overseas travel resumes, it’s likely that only those that have been vaccinated can go abroad,” he added.

Mr Ong had said earlier this month that Singapore may allow leisure travel by the end of the year. Likely destinations include countries with high vaccination rates, and which have seen downward trends in their infection rates. It will also include the United States, Hong Kong and some parts of the European Union, where vaccination rates are rising.

Those who have been fully vaccinated might also be able to replace their stay-home notice (SHN) with COVID-19 tests.

According to Mr Ong, both Hong Kong and Singapore are in a good position to relook a travel arrangement. So far, a new travel arrangement between Hong Kong and Singapore have been ‘popped’ twice.

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