Everywhere you look, the vaccine’s all anyone has moved on to talking about in our current stage of the pandemic – with some worried about what’s in the vaccine, and some horribly excited to get their turn as a security blanket against the virus.
Seeing people in the UK receive their shots have made us wonder when our turn’s finally going to come, especially with the news of the first shipment of Pfizer’s vaccines having arrived in Singapore just two days ago.
Fret not, for it may be sooner than we think.
More Details Of The Vaccination Plan In January
Speaking at the Ministry of Education headquarters to reporters on stricter border controls for travellers from the UK amidst a new highly contagious virus strain, education minister Mr Lawrence Wong revealed that more details will be coming our way soon with regards to the vaccination plan here.
If everything goes well, the plan will be revealed as soon as January, including details about the vaccine’s roll-out phases and who will go through them.
However, the exact details are subject to many variables, such as the supply and demand schedules of the vaccine, and when other vaccines will receive authorisation here – although these variables are still uncertain for now, said Mr Wong.
“When we have greater certainty of when, what sort of supply (and) delivery schedule we can expect in Singapore, that will be matched with the vaccinations programme, the different phases of vaccination,” added Mr Wong, who is also the co-chair of the COVID-19 Multi-Ministry Taskforce.
Well, that’s some more phases we have to wait for, even after we’ve finally reached Phase 3.
Other Vaccines Have To Be Approved First
Besides the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine that was just recently authorised in Singapore just last week on Monday, 14 Dec, there are other vaccines that Singapore has advance purchase agreements of as well – such as the United States’ Moderna vaccine and China’s Sinotec vaccine.
As these vaccines have yet to be authorised for use here, Mr Wong said that it is still too early to estimate the frequency of vaccines arriving here.
Still, the government has a rough idea of when the Pfizer, Moderna and Sinotec vaccines will make its way to our shores, assuming that all three are authorised for use.
“But it’s still early days, it’s still very preliminary, and it can change,” added Mr Wong.
Healthcare And Front-Line Workers To Receive It First
As previously announced by the task force, healthcare and front-line workers will be prioritised and the first on the list to receive the vaccine.
The administration of the vaccines to these groups could happen between the end of this year and January or February next year, said Mr Wong, adding that “it will be some time before we can talk about opening up and offering the vaccine to the broader population.”
Rolling out the vaccine to the rest of the Singapore population could take several months, with a possibility of Singapore having enough vaccines for everyone by the third quarter of 2021 if everything goes according to plan.
Still, the programme may be pushed back to the end of 2021 or beyond that if other factors arise, and may even be brought forward if other vaccines arrive earlier.
So if you’re one of those who are fearful of needles, you still have some time to prepare yourself before getting the jab.
New COVID-19 Strain Not Detected In Singapore
Thankfully, Mr Wong said that the new and seemingly more transmittable strain that was recently discovered in the UK has yet to be detected in Singapore.
In response to questions about whether the government is concerned about the vaccines not being able to work against fighting the new virus strain, Mr Wong said that it is an uncertainty that scientists everywhere are curious to know about.
“I am sure our scientists and experts, together with experts everywhere in the world, will be asking these questions and seeking answers,” he added.
If the new strain happens to be detected here, Singapore would have to step up and exercise extra caution in implementing existing virus measures here, including isolating the close contacts of an infected person as soon as possible to quickly contain any possible clusters, he said.
Mr Wong also said that before this happens, our borders must be kept secure first – referring to Singapore having denied the entry and transit of long-term pass holders and short-term visitors who have recently travelled to the UK on 22 Dec, Tuesday.
However, this and other methods will not be 100% certain, for the strain might infiltrate our borders through a different country, he said.
“Again, we are in a new situation, we have to stay vigilant. We have to monitor how the virus is spreading, how the new strain is spreading everywhere in the world, and then we have to constantly adjust our measures at the borders and within the community accordingly.”
Hopefully, this new strain doesn’t kill all the hope that the vaccines are bringing.
Featured Image: Facebook (Ong Ye Kung)
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