SINGAPORE - More than 192,000 children aged between five and 11 have been given at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, while more than 56,000 have got both shots, said the Ministry of Education on Friday (Feb 4).
It added that the Ministry of Health will be gradually reducing the number of paediatric vaccination centres from Feb 27, starting with the closure of two located in Nanyang and Queenstown community clubs.
This is because the authorities expect demand for paediatric vaccination to have fallen by the end of the month.
Both centres will continue accepting appointments made on MOH's National Appointment System portal until they cease operations. But starting next Monday, they will no longer accommodate walk-in visitors taking their first dose.
Singapore's nationwide drive to vaccinate more than 300,000 children aged five to 11 began on Dec 27.
Three-quarters of primary school students have since signed up for vaccination, MOE said.
Seven in 10 have got at least one dose, with a similar proportion expected to receive their second dose by the end of the month.
The ministry added that it had also received almost 18,500 registrations from pre-school-aged children, nearly 13,000 of whom have received at least one shot.
Nearly 250,000 doses have been administered in total, with a record number of almost 60,000 doses given in the last week of January alone.
The authorities have also started progressively rolling out booster shots for those aged 12 to 17, with those aged 16 and 17 asked to get their boosters first.
"We strongly encourage those who are medically eligible to receive their booster vaccination early for better protection," MOE said in its statement.
It added that MOH will be deploying mobile vaccination teams to special education schools, to cater to students who may have difficulty getting to a vaccination centre.
Elaborating on the closure of paediatric vaccination centres, MOE said that Singapore would have relatively fewer children who still require Covid-19 vaccinations by the end of this month.
Closing such centres will allow MOH to allocate more resources towards the national booster vaccination programme, it added.
A total of 13 paediatric vaccination centres will remain after the two are closed.
MOE urged parents to get their children vaccinated as soon as possible, given the surge in Omicron cases.
"With high vaccination rates, we can look towards resuming more elements of school life with appropriate safeguards," it said.
"MOE will continue to monitor the Covid-19 situation and make adjustments where necessary to keep our schools safe."
