Minister: More Tests & Additional Requirements Likely for People Who Don’t Take COVID-19 Vaccine

By
Boon Hun
-

Taking the Covid-19 vaccine is entirely voluntary, according to PM Lee.

However, it’s in the best interest of Singapore to get as many people vaccinated as possible, especially with the existence of the B117 variant.

So how do you merge both interests together?

By making it a win-win situation, of course.

Minister: More Tests & Additional Requirements Likely for People Who Don’t Take COVID-19 Vaccine

If people were to be told that they should take the Covid-19 vaccine but they don’t have to, you’ll probably leave it to the others to get vaccinated since you’ll get the fringe benefits as well, no?

But what if I was to tell you that if you do not get vaccinated, you’ll be facing more hassle than others? That’ll probably change the entire story.

And that’s what Minister Lawrence Wong, the handsome face of Singapore’s fight against Covid-19, is saying.

In an interview with CNA’s Talking Point, Minister Wong said that there are “tangible benefits” to taking the Covid-19 vaccine in Singapore.

If the Covid-19 vaccine is proven to significantly reduce transmission, people who choose to get vaccinated might not have to serve SHN, or at least a shorter SHN, when travelling back into Singapore.

On the other hand, for those who chose not to take up vaccination, they might be subjected to quarantine, more tests and additional requirements.

Carrot and stick, indeed.

How S’pore Got Its Hands On Covid-19 Vaccines So Fast

You’ve probably heard about the possibility of not being able to get a Covid-19 vaccine even after it’s developed, so how had Singapore managed to procure enough for everyone on our sunny island by the 3rd quarter of 2021?

The answer is: Placing bets.

According to Minister Wong, Singapore has started making purchase agreements even before clinical data or “full-fledged information” is available.

Using only data from the “very early clinical trials”, Singapore’s Covid-19 vaccine committee and experts picked 35 vaccine candidates and narrowed it down to three of them:

  • Pfizer-BioNTech
  • Moderna
  • Sinovac

They were picked for their safety and effectiveness based on preliminary data.

The first advanced purchase agreement was made with Moderna back in June 2020. In August, the Sinovac vaccine was purchased and Singapore was in talks with Pfizer-BioNTech.

Thus far, while there’s no news out yet on the Sinovac vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use in Singapore and Moderna has been approved in America.

S’pore Will Continue Trying To Expand Vaccine Portfolio

While most people are satisfied with making two good bets out of three (so far), Minister Wong says that Singapore will be looking for opportunities to expand our vaccine portfolio.

As vaccination continues in Singapore, the panel will be waiting for the full data from Sinovac and looking to apply the same process to other eligible vaccines as well.

Previously, it was reported that there are certain groups of people within the Singapore population which are not suitable for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

They are children under 16 years old, people with immuno-deficiency, pregnant women and those with a history of severe allergic reactions.

Associate Professor Vernon Lee from the Ministry of Health (MOH) brought this point up in the interview, pointing out that other vaccines might be able to be administered to different sub-populations within the country.

After determining which vaccine is suitable for different groups, people will be encouraged to take those up when they’re available in Singapore.

As for why the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved for use here, it’s because its data is the “most complete”.

Can We Choose Which Vaccine To Take?

If you’ve read our previous article, you’ll know that right now, you can’t choose the vaccine to take.

That’s because there’s only one vaccine available.

But in the future where there are (hopefully) a few vaccines to choose from?

It depends, according to Minister Wong.

“If later on other vaccines are authorised, be it Moderna or Sinovac, then we have to think about whether choice may be extended. Or perhaps some vaccines work better for certain sub-segments of the population, and then we might allocate vaccines differently as well.”

One thing for sure, though, this won’t end with the end of Covid-19.

While Covid-19 may have passed, it doesn’t mean that mankind is no longer susceptible to super-infectious viruses.

Minister Wong advises that while many are hoping to return to a pre-pandemic world, it might be better to think about the things that we’re doing now, and how to incorporate it into our daily routines.

“How can we raise our levels of defences, our levels of protection, our levels of hygiene so that we can be more prepared and more resilient in the future?”

It was also added by Associate Professor Lee that even with “high vaccination coverage”, it doesn’t mean that Covid-19 will be successfully stamped out since the world is a highly connected place now.

We’re going to see it occurring again from time to time, which makes vaccination a really important personal protection tool to get.

Featured Image: angellodeco / Shutterstock.com

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Boon Hun
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