SINGAPORE – Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong received an updated Covid-19 vaccine on Thursday at the Singapore General Hospital.

In a Facebook post, PM Lee said the updated vaccine that was recently rolled out is based on the Omicron XBB.1.5 variant, and that the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination recommended the latest version to better protect the public against current and upcoming strains of the virus.

He added that people may ask if those who have previously contracted Covid-19 – like he did – should still get the shot.

He said: “My symptoms were minimal, and I felt generally fine, most likely because I had kept my vaccination updated. But my protection will wane over time, and so will yours.”

The new vaccine, PM Lee said, is recommended especially for those who are 60 and older, medically vulnerable people and residents of aged-care facilities.

But it is available to everyone aged six months and above, and for free, he added.

“Vaccination is the best protection against Covid-19. Do keep your vaccination up to date to protect yourself and your loved ones,” he said.

PM Lee, 71, tested positive for the virus twice in 2023 – first in May and then again in June, just days after he recovered from his first bout of the virus.

When he tested positive for Covid-19 in May, he was advised by doctors to self-isolate until he was asymptomatic, and was prescribed anti-viral medication Paxlovid because of his age.