The Health Sciences Authority has just announced that it has authorised the updated Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer. This is a monovalent vaccine, targeting the current Omicron subvariants, and is to be used in individuals aged six months and above. Unlike the previous bivalent vaccine, it does not target the original strain of the virus, which itself is no longer circulating widely in the community.
The Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination is reviewing the data and will give its recommendations soon.
Stocks should arrive by end-October and Ministry of Health, Singapore will share more details closer to the date of stock availability.
I do need to raise a caution. Our vaccination take-up rate is falling, which means over time, our protection against COVID-19 will weaken. The virus has not gotten milder, it is we who have gotten stronger, through vaccinations and safe recovery from infections.
Our vaccination culture is strong among our young. Most of our children are vaccinated against diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and tuberculosis. However, vaccination culture amongst adults is not strong. This could be because unlike many developed countries, we do not have deadly flu seasons and strong relationships with family doctors, which makes vaccines much less accepted amongst adults here.
Vaccines are an important part of our preventive care journey. We encourage everyone, especially our seniors, to take it once a year.
(Photo by Pfizer)
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