Yesterday marked the first day of vaccination for Singaporean children aged 12 and above. You may recall, vaccination bookings and the guidelines for the Covid vaccine age limit were announced during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s speech on Monday (31 May).
Parents were informed that slots to get vaccinated will be open from Tuesday (1 June) and graduating cohorts for O-, N- and A-Levels and students with special needs will be given priority for the vaccine. They will be followed by other students aged 12 and up as well as those in institutions of higher learning.
And by the looks of it, children were more than happy to receive the jab the very first day.
Covid-19 Vaccination Booking For Singapore Students Begin
Image source: Facebook / Chan Chun Sing
Since Tuesday, SMS invitations were sent out to students to sign up for vaccination. This included students taking the O-, N-, and A-Level exams this year, students in JC1, as well as students in polytechnics.
As vaccination bookings for students began, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing uploaded a post on Facebook about his visit to one of the vaccination centres. According to his post, over 9,000 have already booked appointments to get the vaccine on Thursday (3 June).
He wrote, “Visited the vaccination centre at Bukit Timah Community Club and had good chats with some of the students and their accompanying parents. Was glad to hear from several of the students that most of their friends have signed up to be vaccinated!”
Students excited about the vaccine
Many children were excited to be part of this historic day and were looking forward to being completely vaccinated.
Take the case of 15-year-old Salwa Taib Ali from Ngee Ann Secondary School. She told CNA that the vaccination process was “really fast, prompt and easy.” She says the injection went “way better than expected” and did not feel side effects right after being vaccinated.
Stressed and scared of being infected when she has to take the O-levels, Salwa says when it was announced that students could get the vaccine she “was really excited” and the first thing she did was inform her parents to book the first slot available.
“I am heartened by the positive response that we have received thus far, and the high sign-up rate. As we battle the evolving challenges from the pandemic, vaccination remains the best way to keep our students and children safe,” adds Mr Chan.
SMS invitation will continue to be sent out to notify eligible students to get the vaccine until 13 June. Mr Chan urges all parents to sign their child up for vaccination once they receive the invite.
“Let us all do our part to keep our loved ones and community safe,” concludes Mr Chan.
Covid Vaccine Age Limit: Where To Get It And All You Should Know
Image source: Stock
The Ministry of Education (MOE) says that more than 400,000 students will be able to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations.
They also say that the remaining full-time students in schools and institutes of higher learning can expect to receive invitations to book a vaccination slot over the next two weeks. Privately-funded schools, madrasahs and special education schools will also be included.
-
Four dedicated MOE vaccination centres have been set up for students
These vaccination centres will be located at Raffles City Convention Centre, ITE College Central, ITE College East and ITE College West.
MOE says each ITE centre will have up to 1,600 vaccination slots available per day. The Raffles City Convention Centre on the other hand will have up to 2,000 slots per day.
-
Covid vaccine age limit for students in Singapore
Only students aged 12 years and above have been allowed to receive the vaccine. Younger children have still not been given the green light to be vaccinated as further research is still needed.
The Moderna vaccine has also not been approved for students aged 12 to 17 years old so they can only receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Meanwhile, students aged 18 years old and above can either get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.
-
Vaccination exercise expected to be complete by August
The ministry adds that this vaccination exercise for students is expected to be complete by August of this year.
In the meantime, MOE advises parents to consult their family doctors “if they have questions pertaining to the suitability of the vaccination for their children.”
Lead image source from Facebook / Chan Chun Sing.
ALSO READ:
COVID-19: Pregnant Singaporean Women Reluctant About Getting The Vaccine
COVID Vaccine 100% Effective For Kids 12 Years And Above, Says Moderna