askST: What you need to know about Singapore’s new Covid-19 vaccination strategy – The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Singapore is transitioning to a new strategy for Covid-19 vaccinations, with a focus on being up to date, rather than based on the total number of shots received.

At the same time, the Government has lifted all remaining vaccination-differentiated measures, including removing the requirement for vaccination for events with more than 500 participants or dining in at eateries.

What does this mean for those who are thinking of whether to get a second booster?

The Straits Times has the answers.

Singapore now requires that people get two shots of an mRNA vaccine, with an additional booster dose administered at least five months after completing the primary series of the first two shots.

As things return to normality, the country will also transition to a new strategy of up-to-date vaccination, instead of counting the number of shots and boosters individuals receive. This is a similar approach to howinfluenza vaccinations are administered seasonally.

Individuals will be considered up-to-date with their Covid-19 vaccination if they have received at least the minimum protection. This comprises three doses of an mRNA vaccine or the Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine, or four shots of Sinovac-Coronvac or Sinopharm vaccines. They must havereceived their last vaccine dose within the past year.

- After achieving minimum protection - those aged 50 years and above should receive an additional booster dose of an mRNA vaccine between five months and one year from their last dose.

- Those aged five to 11 years old should complete three mRNA or Novavax/Nuvaxovid doses, or four Sinovac-CoronaVac doses, to achieve minimum protection. They can receive a booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine five months after the last dose. It is the only Covid-19 vaccine recommended for this age group.

- Those between six months and four years should take two doses of the Moderna Spikevax vaccine at least eight weeks apart, or three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, with the first two doses three weeks apart and a third dose at least eight weeks after the second. The Pfizer BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine for children below five should be available end of this year. No boosters are recommended for this age group yet.

The bivalent Covid-19 vaccines include a component of the original virus strain to provide broad protection against Covid-19 and a component of the Omicron variant to provide better protection against the Omicron strain.

The Moderna bivalent vaccine approved by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in September targets the original Sars-CoV-2 strain of the virus as well as the Omicron BA.1 variant.

At the time, HSA said preliminary data suggested that the Moderna bivalent vaccine was also effective against the Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants, and others such as the Delta and Gamma variants.

The Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination has recommended the use of the bivalent vaccine to replace the existing formulation.

This means the original Moderna Spikevax vaccine will be replaced with the bivalent version starting Friday, and made available for people aged 18 and above.

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askST: What you need to know about Singapore's new Covid-19 vaccination strategy - The Straits Times