Singapore is exploring the possibility of giving as many people as possible the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in the next phase of its vaccination exercise, so that more of the population will have some level of protection, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung yesterday.
If this is done, people might need to wait up to six to eight weeks for their second shot, but this would not affect the efficacy of the vaccine, he added, promising that more details will be announced as soon as they are finalised.
Currently, the ministry recommends that the two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine should be taken 21 days apart to achieve optimal protection. For the Moderna vaccine, the time period is 28 days.
Around the world, vaccine shortages have hampered efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and scientists have studied the possibility of delaying the second dose of the vaccine so more is available for use as first doses.
The first dose of the two-shot Covid-19 vaccines primes the immune system to recognise the virus, and the second dose solidifies this memory.
Earlier this month, India, which is experiencing a devastating outbreak, accepted a recommendation to extend the gap between the two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to 12 to 16 weeks, from six to eight weeks.
Speaking about the strategy for phase two of Singapore's vaccination exercise yesterday, Mr Ong, who co-chairs the multi-ministry task force handling Covid-19, noted that experts overseas and in Singapore believe that a wait of up to six to eight weeks for the second dose would not affect the vaccine's efficacy.
He also said that those who have already secured an appointment for their second dose of the vaccine will not be affected.
As at May 10, more than 1.8 million people in Singapore have received their first dose of the vaccine, and more than 1.2 million have completed the full vaccination regimen.
Mr Ong stressed that vaccination provides three benefits: protection against infection, bringing down the severity of the disease if one is infected, and reducing the likelihood of transmission.
He added that all three benefits have been seen in countries that have vaccinated a large proportion of the population, such as Israel.
The first phase of Singapore's vaccination exercise has been focused on those who need the protection most, said Mr Ong, such as the elderly and those working in hospitals, sea ports, the airport and schools.
"For this group, we want to give them the maximum protection, meaning two doses. And today the progress has been good, so one-quarter of our population today are fully vaccinated - two doses."
Asked why the vaccination programme cannot be rolled out faster, Mr Ong said the programme "is still pretty much aligned in tandem with the arrival of supplies".
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>1.8m
Number of people in Singapore who have received their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, as at May 10.
>1.2m
Number of people in Singapore who have completed the full vaccination regimen, as at May 10.
While Singapore has a steady stream of supplies for both vaccines, which is enough to cover its entire population, they "come at a certain pace", he added.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, who was also at yesterday's press conference, said that with about 40 vaccination centres islandwide, Singapore has a higher vaccination capacity than the vaccines available.
"Together with our queue management system, this gives us the confidence that once the vaccines arrive in Singapore, we can get it into the arms of our people in the shortest time possible," he added.
