My son is currently serving his national service in the Singapore Police Force. As he is in a front-line vocation, he is in a priority group for Covid-19 vaccination.

He received his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine on Jan 27. He went to get his second dose last Saturday, and it was then that I received a phone call.

The nurse on the line told me that she needed my consent before administering the dose, as my son is under the age of 21, and asked if I was aware of the vaccine's risks.

When I asked why no consent was sought for the first dose, she had no immediate answer. She checked with a few other nurses, and then told me that no consent was needed for the first dose.

Why was consent sought for the second dose only? Also, why was the process done over the phone? The nurse would not have been able to verify that I am the mother.

Ravi Sri Dhevi