SINGAPORE - People who opt to take the Covid-19 vaccine will receive a physical vaccination card, and will be able to check their vaccination records online, said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong on Monday (Jan 4).

He noted that nearly 60 per cent of people indicated through surveys and other government outreach methods that they will get inoculated once a vaccine is available, while around a third said they would wait for more data before deciding.

Mr Gan also told Parliament that people will not be able to choose which vaccine they want.

He said the vaccination card will indicate which vaccine was administered and the appointment dates for the second vaccine dose, and will also provide brief post-vaccination advice.

Some vaccines, such as the one developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, require two doses to be administered 21 days apart, and an additional 14 days after the second dose to reach maximum protection against the virus.

Vaccine records will be updated in the National Immunisation Registry, the minister added.

Mr Louis Chua (Sengkang GRC) asked if individuals will be allowed to choose which vaccine they wish to take, when more than one has been approved for use.

Mr Gan said allowing individuals to choose will "unnecessarily complicate the already complex vaccination programme".

Instead, the allocation of vaccines will largely be based on the medical indications of the different vaccines and the suitability of a vaccine for different sub-groups in the population, as well as vaccine availability.

"Anyway, in the immediate term, only the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been approved for use," Mr Gan said. "So there is no choice."