New Options for Medically Vulnerable Individuals
SINGAPORE: From Jun. 10, individuals aged 50 and above can walk into vaccination centres offering mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to receive their second booster shot, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced. This follows recommendations from the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination to extend booster eligibility to those aged 50 to 59, given their increased risk of severe illness.
Eligible individuals can receive their second booster approximately five months after their first, mirroring earlier guidance for those aged 60 and above. MOH noted that this age group often begins to experience chronic health conditions, further justifying the additional protection.
Simplified Process for Medically Vulnerable Individuals
Starting Jul. 1, medically vulnerable individuals with chronic conditions such as heart or lung diseases can self-declare their health status to receive their second booster shot without requiring a doctor’s referral. Details on the self-declaration process will soon be available on the MOH website.
Wider Interval Recommended Between Initial Vaccine Doses
Citing recent international data, MOH has recommended spacing the first two doses of the COVID-19 primary series vaccinations eight weeks apart for better immune response.
The minimum intervals for vaccines remain as follows:
Pfizer-BioNTech Comirnaty and Novavax/Nuvaxovid: 21 days.
Moderna/Spikevax and Sinovac-CoronaVac: 28 days.
MOH encourages individuals to follow these revised guidelines for optimal vaccine efficacy.
These measures reflect Singapore’s ongoing efforts to provide tailored vaccination options as the country transitions to treating COVID-19 as endemic.
