Minister Outlines How S’pore’s Approach To Covid-19 Vaccine Distribution Will Be Like

Previously, the task force had warned that the Covid-19 vaccine, when it first comes out, will probably not be enough for every single person in Singapore.

When asked how the vaccine would be allocated if that is true, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that the more vulnerable groups in Singapore would be given first access./

And the next priority would be given to people caring for Covid-19 patients.

On 4 Sep 2020, Minister Gan Kim Yong’s written reply to parliament seemingly indicated that the approach to vaccine distribution in Singapore remains the same.

Protect The Vulnerable, And Then, Those Who Need It

The first step is to protect the group that is more vulnerable to Covid-19.

Which, in other words, is likely to be the elderly since Covid-19 has been proven to pose a higher risk of death to older people as compared to their younger counterparts.

Them and those with underlying chronic conditions.

After that particular group is covered, the next group Singapore plans to protect are those who need the coverage.

That’s probably the caregivers and those in the medical frontline who have to take care of Covid-19 patients when going about their duties.

Coverage will be rolled out to the rest of Singapore as time passes by.

Nothing Is Set In Stone Yet

Again, he cautioned that the distribution of vaccine depends heavily on the type of vaccine produced.

“The vaccination strategy and schedule would depend on several factors including the suitability of different vaccines for different population subgroups and the quantity of vaccines available at any point in time.”

Previously, he had pointed out that there are 30 vaccines undergoing clinical trials globally and another 139 undergoing pre-clinical trials.

Every vaccine requires a different dosage and method of administration.

Some will have administration methods and dosage that are more suitable for certain groups, and woefully unsuitable for others.

This means that if a vaccine is ready to be administered, it also depends on which group the vaccine is suitable for.

S’pore’s Vaccine Situation

Currently, Singapore is supporting the collaboration between Duke-NUS Medical School and US biotech company, Arcturus Therapeutics into coming up with a viable vaccine.

Early-stage clinical trials have already started for the vaccine that they are developing.

Gan also mentioned that they’re not just focused inwards, but also monitoring the progress of the various Covid-19 vaccine developments globally.

Singapore has been talking with a few other companies that are developing the vaccines, he added.

Besides the efforts to procure vaccines, Singapore is also actively trying to make future Covid-19 vaccines accessible to more countries.

We’ve been working with several global bodies, including World Health Organisation (WHO), the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) among many others on a project called the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility.

After all, if Singapore alone beats Covid-19, it doesn’t mean much.

We still need tourists to survive after all.

Meanwhile, here’s a way you can help Singapore recover a bit while having some fun: