BIVALENT PFIZER-BIONTECH/COMIRNATY VACCINATION TO START FROM 12 DECEMBER 2022

        From 12 December 2022, the Ministry of Health (MOH) will roll out the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine at all current Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty vaccination locations for persons aged 12 years and above.

2.   This follows the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination’s (EC19V) recommendation to switch to the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine in place of the monovalent vaccine, for the primary vaccination series and booster vaccination for persons aged 12 years and above. The bivalent Moderna/Spikevax vaccine continues to be available for persons aged 18 years and above.

3.    Members of public who have already booked an appointment to receive the monovalent Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine may choose to re-schedule their appointments to a new date on or after 12 December, to receive the updated bivalent vaccine.

Up-to-Date Vaccination for Persons Aged 12 and Above

4.     Previously, all adults aged 18 years and above were recommended to keep up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination. With the extension of the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine to 12 years and above, persons aged 12 to 17 years should also receive an additional bivalent vaccine dose around five months after their last booster dose. The updated vaccination recommendations to meet the up-to-date definition for persons aged 12 years and above is summarised in Annex A.

5.     Those who are eligible will receive an SMS with a personalised booking link to make an appointment at their preferred location. We seek your patience and understanding that the SMS may take a couple of weeks to reach everyone.

6.     To avoid overcrowding the Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres (JTVCs), we will only facilitate walk-ins for persons aged 50 years and above and healthcare workers. With higher demand for vaccines, they are advised to go during the less crowded hours from Mondays to Thursdays before 6.30pm, and on Saturdays after 2pm. For a smoother experience, walk-ins should be avoided during peak periods of Friday and Saturday morning. Polyclinics will continue to only accept walk-ins for persons aged 80 years and above.

7.     For added convenience, JTVCs are open from 9am to 7pm on Saturday till end December. Please visit https://gowhere.gov.sg/vaccine to locate the nearest JTVC, participating Public Health Preparedness Clinic or Polyclinic providing COVID-19 vaccination.

Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Vaccine for Children Aged 6 months to 4 years

8.     MOH has accepted EC19V’s recommendation that the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine may be used for the primary vaccination series for children aged 6 months to 4 years, as an alternative to the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine for this age group. The Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty primary vaccination series for children aged 6 months to 4 years consists of three doses, each given eight weeks apart. We will announce more details on the rollout at a later date.

9.     The protection conferred by our high vaccination rate has enabled us to keep the number of severe cases and deaths much lower than in many other countries. As new COVID-19 variants continue to emerge, we urge those who are eligible to take the bivalent vaccine as an additional vaccine dose, to ensure they continue to have good protection against COVID-19.

Mobile Vaccination Teams in the Heartlands

10.     Currently about 9 in 10 seniors aged 60 years and above have achieved minimum protection, and 6 in 10 are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination. There are still close to 40,000 eligible seniors who have not yet achieved minimum protection.

11.     To make it more convenient for seniors to get vaccinated and boosted, from 12 December 2022, mobile vaccination teams (MVTs) will be deployed to a number of heartland locations. These locations are:

·       Bukit Panjang Zone 3 RC

·       Chua Chu Kang CC

·       Hong Kah North CC

·       Kampong Chai Chee CC

·       Leng Kee CC

·       Potong Pasir Zone 3 RC

·       Teck Ghee CC

·       Toa Payoh Central CC

12.     The MVTs will be deployed at each site for three days before moving on to the next location. Individuals may refer to Annex B or visit https://gowhere.gov.sg for the MVT deployment schedule.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

6 DECEMBER 2022