Updated Covid-19 vaccines available at GPs and polyclinics from Oct 27: MOH, CDA

From Monday (Oct 27), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Communicable Diseases Agency (CDA) will roll out two updated Covid-19 vaccines at over 600 GP clinics, 10 polyclinics, and through mobile vaccination teams.

In a statement on Friday (Oct 24), the CDA said that the updated LP.8.1 Moderna/Spikevax and LP.8.1 Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccines have been approved by the Health Sciences Authority and will be administered at all vaccination locations.

"The updated vaccines provide better protection against current and emerging strains of Covid-19 compared with previous versions, while maintaining similar safety profiles," the statement read. 

The Expert Committee on Immunisation also recommended that individuals at increased risk of severe Covid infection should get vaccinated.

These include those aged 60 years and above, medically vulnerable individuals aged 6 months and above, and residents of aged care facilities.

The CDA added that unvaccinated individuals receiving Covid-19 vaccination should receive two doses, eight weeks apart, if they are aged 6 months to 4 years, while those aged 5 years and older should receive a single dose.

"Vaccinated individuals aged 6 months and above who are receiving an additional dose of Covid-19 vaccination should receive it at an interval of around one year (and at least five months) from the last vaccine dose," said the CDA. 

As Covid-19 waves are expected to continue and may cause severe disease among older adults and medically vulnerable individuals, the CDA encourages the public to stay up to date with their vaccinations.

Under the National Vaccination Programme, the jabs continue to be free for all eligible individuals. 

Members of the public can visit https://gowhere.gov.sg/vaccine to find the nearest vaccination sites and the types of vaccines offered. 

[[nid:685699]]

xingying.koh@asiaone.com