Bivalent Covid-19 jab available from Friday

The Moderna/Spikevax bivalent vaccine will be available from Friday, three days ahead of schedule, with the Ministry of Health (MOH) saying there are benefits to its early administration as infections are rising due to the XBB Omicron sub-variant.

The roll-out was made possible after MOH's operation teams were able to complete their preparations ahead of the deadline.

The new vaccine is based on the original and administered using the same dosage. But instead of just targeting the initial Sars-CoV-2 strain, it also targets the Omicron variant, said MOH on Tuesday.

A clinical trial showed it generated an antibody response against the Omicron variant that was 75 per cent greater than the original booster.

"It is safe and works better against Omicron in protecting you against severe illness," said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung in a Facebook post, as he encouraged those 50 and older, along with people yet to achieve minimum protection, to take the bivalent vaccine.

Mr Ong on Tuesday also visited the joint testing and vaccination centre in Commonwealth with Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong.

They both received the new jab.

Nine of the 10 joint testing and vaccination centres are offering the new vaccine. The one in Bishan is the exception.

Those aged 50 and above, whose last Covid-19 vaccination was at least five months ago, can walk into any of them without an appointment to get the bivalent shot.

Mr Ong said those who are below 50 years old but medically vulnerable can also get the latest jab.

The nine centres will together be able to offer between 60,000 and 70,000 jabs of the bivalent vaccine a day, said Mr Ong.

MOH said that side effects following vaccination were similar to those of the original Moderna vaccine, adding that "the risk of serious adverse events from the vaccine is very rare".

Pfizer's bivalent vaccine is still under evaluation, but is expected to be available in Singapore by the end of the year.

Singapore recorded 11,732 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, up from 4,719 on Monday.

Case numbers usually spike on Tuesdays, due to people socialising over the weekend.

The XBB strain, otherwise known as BA.2.10, is currently the dominant cause of Covid-19 infections in Singapore, Mr Ong said.

It has been detected in several countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Japan and the United States, since August.

Figures from the ministry show that XBB currently makes up 55 per cent of infections here.

Warning of falsehoods that are circulating, Mr Ong said there is no evidence that the XBB variant leads to more severe cases, adding that the authorities are watching the new sub-variant very closely.

MOH warned it would take action under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act against such rumours circulating on instant messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.