Everything About the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme for All Seniors in S’pore from 22 Feb

By
Shawn Ambrose
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When you reach a certain age, there are certain things you can get away with in public that others of a younger age simply can’t.

These include farting loudly in a train and walking bare-bodied through the streets of Singapore.

And now, since older people are more at risk of developing severe illness from Covid-19, they will be getting protection from the virus earlier than most of us.

Everything About the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme for All Seniors in S’pore from 22 Feb

Good news for seniors aged 70 and above: a Covid-19 vaccination drive designated for your age group will commence on 22 Feb.

The programme was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Friday (12 Feb), who said that more details of the immunisation drive will follow.

This comes after a month-long pilot in Ang Mo Kio and Tanjong Pagar, where residents aged 70 and above received vaccinations from 27 Jan.

The two residential areas were chosen for the pilot as they had a higher proportion of elderly residents.

Government Aims to Get Whole Country Vaccinated By the Third Quarter

PM Lee also reiterated the government’s ambitious goal to get the entire country vaccinated by the third quarter, or by the end of the year at the latest.

That is, of course, if no obstacles crop up.

According to the Prime Minister, Singapore has ordered enough vaccines for everyone here, but there may be some disruptions and delays.

Still, nearly 250,000 people have been vaccinated to date. The first Singapore resident to get immunised received their jab on 30 Dec, meaning a quarter of a million people have been vaccinated in less than two months.

Even With Vaccinations, Life Will Not Return to Normal

The moment it was announced that Singapore had approved several Covid-19 vaccines, some of us began planning our next vacation and beach party.

But even if Singapore manages to vaccinate most of its residents, life will not return to normal, PM Lee said.

“Some will not be vaccinated – they will remain vulnerable. Our borders will not be able to be completely closed, people will have to travel from time to time. Cases will come in and we will have to deal with them. We will have to move to living with Covid-19 in some form for quite some time”.

This is because some countries in the region won’t be able to vaccinate their large populations by the end of this year.

And since some of our residents won’t be vaccinated, imported infections will remain a risk.

So, When Will Pre-Pandemic Life Return?

While vaccinations are being administered rapidly in richer countries, poorer nations might take a longer time to immunise their population.

Because of this, some predict it could take as long as seven years for pre-pandemic life to return.

The good news is that leisure travel might make a comeback a little sooner.

PM Lee reiterated the International Air Transport Association’s projection that global air travel will only return to pre-Covid-19 levels in 2024.

In the meantime, we have no choice but to do our best to keep our loved ones and our fellow citizens safe.

After all, even countries with world-class healthcare systems are struggling to deal with their respective coronavirus outbreaks.

Featured Image: Miriam Doerr Martin Frommherz / Shutterstock.com

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Shawn Ambrose
Email: [email protected]