No appointment needed for Covid-19 vaccine and booster jabs

SINGAPORE - From Thursday (March 17), anyone who is of eligible age for the Covid-19 vaccine in Singapore can get their shot at a vaccination centre any day of the week without booking an appointment.

They can do this before 7pm.

The exception to this is the vaccination centre at Yusof Ishak Secondary School in Punggol. It has not been accepting walk-in appointments for the first vaccination dose since March 10.

Announcing this in a joint statement on Wednesday night, the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) said more vaccination centres will be closing down in the coming weeks.

They urged people to visit centres currently operating.

The ministries and ECDA said that as at March 13, about a quarter of a million children aged between five and 11 have signed up for their jabs.

About 444,000 doses have already been administered, with 248,000 children receiving at least their first dose, while 196,000 have received their second dose.

Eighty-three per cent of primary school pupils have received at least their first dose, while 69 per cent have received both doses.

And more than 29,000 children born in 2016 and 2017 have registered on MOH's National Appointment System.

Of these, 28,000 have received at least their first dose, while 17,000 have received their second dose.

The ministries and ECDA said parents and guardians of children who missed their appointment for a second dose can either rebook it, or walk in to the same paediatric vaccination centre where their child received his first dose on any day of the week before 7pm, to get the second shot.

If the centre is no longer in operation - as some have closed down - parents and guardians may take their children to any of the paediatric centres for their second dose.

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Children aged five to 11 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian when they visit a vaccination centre, and should have with them a form of identification such as their pupil identification or birth certificate.

The ministries and ECDA said children who were infected with Covid-19 and have an official record of it are considered fully vaccinated if they receive a single dose of the vaccine post-infection.

They also recommended that children who have recovered and have not completed their primary series vaccination receive a single dose of the vaccine at least three months after the date of their infection.

Children who test positive with a self-administered antigen rapid test (ART), however, will not have an official record of their infection and need to receive two doses of the vaccine to be considered fully vaccinated, said the ministries and ECDA, adding that it is safe for them to do so.

They said it is safe for those aged 12 and above who have recovered from Covid-19 and already completed their vaccination to receive a booster dose.

They may do so 28 days after infection, and it is recommended for them to do so three months from the infection or around five months after the last dose of their primary vaccination series, whichever is later, for better effectiveness.

The full list of vaccination centres can be found at this website.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.