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Parliamentary QA

Option to Receive Early COVID-19 Vaccination for Singaporeans who are Required to Travel for Work and Studies

1 February 2021

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NAME AND CONSTITUENCY OF MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

Miss Rachel Ong
MP for West Coast GRC

QUESTION NO. 354

To ask the Minister for Health whether the Ministry will allow Singaporeans who are required to travel for work and studies to opt in to receive early COVID-19 vaccination.

Written Answer

There is at present a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine globally. Supplies for Singapore will arrive in batches over several months as manufacturers increase the production of vaccines. In addition, there may be unforeseen disruptions to the vaccine delivery schedule. There were delays to shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines due to Pfizer’s manufacturing plant upgrading. We will continue to monitor our supplies closely to ensure that we will have enough vaccines for all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore by the third quarter of 2021.

There is a need to prioritise the allocation of the vaccines. We have prioritised healthcare workers, COVID-19 frontline personnel, seniors, and other essential services personnel. We will progressively broaden our vaccination exercise to include other Singaporeans and long-term residents who are medically eligible.

We understand the anxiety of some Singaporeans wish to travel overseas for personal reasons and are anxious to get vaccinated early. At this point when vaccine supplies are limited, we need to prioritise our healthcare and frontline workers, and seniors for vaccination. We are therefore unable to provide vaccines at this time to these Singaporeans and seek their understanding. When there is greater certainty in our vaccine supply, we will consider allowing individuals to receive early vaccination. We will announce further details when available.