Almost 80% of S'poreans aged 12 to 39 have booked Covid-19 vaccine slots or taken first dose: Ong Ye Kung

Non-Singaporeans will be able to book their appointments to get the Covid-19 vaccine from June 30, two days earlier than planned. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

SINGAPORE - Almost 80 per cent of Singaporeans aged between 12 and 39 have booked an appointment to get the Covid-19 vaccine or taken their first dose, after the opening of 500,000 slots.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post on Tuesday evening (June 29) that there are some 700,000 Singaporeans in this age group in total, including students.

"There has been good take-up... and I hope it will continue to rise," he said.

He also announced that non-Singaporeans will be able to book their appointments to get the Covid-19 vaccine from Wednesday, two days earlier than planned. This is due to Singapore now having sufficient supplies of the vaccine.

Individuals will be able to register their interest online via vaccine.gov.sg, and can subsequently book their vaccination appointments via an SMS with a personalised booking link that will be sent to their mobile number.

Mr Ong said: "This will better help sustain a strong momentum of vaccination. Every day matters."

He added that the authorities' biggest worry "continues to be our seniors", with 24 per cent of this group not vaccinated yet for various reasons.

"We worry that as Singapore opens up, there will be more movement and activity between people, and the greater the likelihood of them being exposed to the virus," said Mr Ong.

"So please try to persuade your loved ones to go for vaccination."

He noted that most of the 500,000 slots for the vaccine that have opened up in the past few days are to cater to those aged between 12 and 39.

While young people are less likely to develop severe disease, they can fall very sick too, said Mr Ong.

He cited the example of Covid-19 cases spiking in the United Kingdom, especially among young people who are least vaccinated and are often out and about.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement on Tuesday evening that about 50,000 people have brought forward the date of their vaccination appointments for their first dose.

It also said that the general take-up rate for the Covid-19 vaccines has been encouraging.

As at Monday, more than 5.3 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered. Around 3.3 million people, or about 60 per cent of the Republic's population, have received at least the first dose of the vaccine.

A total of 2.1 million people have received their second dose and completed the full vaccination regimen.

About 76 per cent of eligible seniors aged 60 and above, 78 per cent of eligible persons aged 45 to 59, and 73 per cent of eligible persons aged 40 to 44 have received their Covid-19 vaccination or booked their vaccination appointments.

An earlier FB post, which was taken down, had cited 52 per cent of Singaporeans in the 12-39 age group having booked their vaccine appointments or received the first dose.

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