SINGAPORE began mass vaccination against the H1N1 flu virus on Tuesday, hours after the doses were despatched to hundreds of clinics across the island.
Staff at DaySpring Medical Clinic in Pasir Ris Central were among the first to get the protection.
'Protecting our own is definitely the thing to do,' said Dr Eric Chiam.
They are frontline staff who will be dealing with many sick people, including those infected with the pandemic flu.
It takes two weeks before the body starts producing antibodies against the bug, and another week or so for protection to peak.
Singapore received its first batch of 200,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine from Australian pharmaceutical giant CSL on Friday morning. But they had to be checked by the manufacturer and cleared before they could be used.
