Young individuals between 12 and 17 years old will have to receive a Covid-19 booster shot to be considered fully vaccinated in Singapore. To maintain their fully-vaccinated status, they must take a dose starting 14 March 2022.
In a press release by the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday (21 January), it announced the extension of the booster vaccination programme for this age group.
Booster Shot for those Aged 12 to 17 in Singapore: All you Need to Know
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1. Individuals aged 12 to 17 to be progressively invited for a booster shot
According to MOH, it will progressively invite young people starting from February 2022. The ministry will begin with the older batch, those aged 16 to 17 years old, and this will then be followed by younger ones aged 12 to 15.
2. Kids aged 12 to 17 will need the consent of a parent or guardian
To book an appointment, persons in this age group will require the consent of their parent or guardian to book an appointment.
Parents and guardians will receive an SMS with a personalised booking link to the mobile number they had already registered with for the primary series. With the booking link, parents can prove consent and proceed to book their child’s booster vaccination.
3. What to bring to the vaccination centre
According to MOH, these young people can be boosted in any vaccination centre offering the Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty vaccine. They should also bring their Student Identification.
But if they are unable to bring their Student Identification, other forms of identification will be accepted for verification purposes, such as the following:
- Birth Certificate
- Passport
- Singpass
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4. Children or wards aged 13 and above are not required to be accompanied
The ministry also noted that parents and guardians do not need to accompany their children and wards aged 13 and up during the booster vaccination schedule.
“However, children/wards aged 12 and students of Special Education (SPED) schools will need to be accompanied by a parent/ guardian, as per the arrangements for the primary series vaccination,” said MOH.
It added, “MOH and the Health Promotion Board will work with SPED schools, and more details will be shared by SPED schools with parents/guardians at a later date.”
Image source: iStock
5. Alternatives for young persons aged 12 to 17 who are medically ineligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty vaccine
Those within this age group who are medically ineligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty vaccine will instead be offered the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine for their booster shots.
This will be under a dedicated public health programme that will also be extended to kids aged 5 to 11 who are also medically ineligible.
“Participants in the public health programme will be closely monitored by trained medical personnel. MOH will contact eligible persons with detailed instructions,” said the ministry.
Source: MOH, The Straits Times
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