By August 5, 2021, 78 percent of Singapore’s population had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while two-thirds of the nation had completed two doses.
By Statehood Day, Singapore will be one of the world’s most highly vaccinated countries, with 70 percent of the population receiving two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told a news conference of several ministerial working groups. This will put Singapore in a stronger position in transition to become a nation resistant to COVID-19.
The full benefits of vaccination have been extended to Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), those who opt for other vaccines against COVID-19 on the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency list, such as Sinovac, Sinopharm and AstraZeneca as fully vaccinated.
Those who have received both doses of other COVID-19 vaccines outside of Pfizer / Cominarty and Moderna will also be eligible to dine at food and beverage outlets in groups of 5 and travel concessions in Singapore.
Shorter isolation period for fully vaccinated patients with Covid-19
Other incentives for the vaccinated population include faster discharge of patients with COVID-19. The latest review of the medical management protocol allows the discharge of patients with COVID-19 who qualify after 10 days of isolation if the smear test results are negative or if their virus load is considered “very low”.
The Ministry of Health reported evidence that vaccinated individuals could recover within 10 days of the start of COVID-19.
Patients with COVID-19 who do not meet the vaccination criteria will continue to be discharged after 14 days of isolation without any additional testing, with seven days of absence in addition.
In the last 28 days, 80 cases of the Singapore community infected with the COVID-19 virus have become seriously ill. Of the 80 serious cases, only 8 were fully vaccinated.
Concerns about unvaccinated elderly people remain
The Ministry of Health is concerned about the high probability of unvaccinated elderly people suffering from a serious illness if they become infected with COVID-19.
By August 6, only 76 percent of the population aged 70 and over had completed two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 82 percent had received at least one dose.
The MoH reiterates the importance of continued efforts to help the remaining 80,000 elderly people in this age group be vaccinated, citing the group’s higher risk of infection and serious illness if infected.
Singapore will be one of the highly vaccinated countries in the world.
Ong Ye Kung, Minister of Health
Despite the high vaccination rate in Singapore, MZ warns that the nation could still see vaccine breakthroughs with new variants of COVID-19 and a large number of daily cases in the community.
The ministry is convinced that hospitalization and intensive care cases can still be kept low, and the majority of Singapore’s population is protected by vaccination. With constant monitoring of the situation, especially the incidents of serious diseases caused by COVID-19, Singapore can continue with its plans to reopen.
Highlight credit: Rogan Yeoh / Unsplash
See also: Fully vaccinated people can dine at food and beverage outlets in groups of 5 from August 10
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