Singapore kickstarted the vaccination drive for children between the age of 12 and 17 earlier this month. According to a report on CNA, as of Sunday (June 13), 300,000 students were registered and have booked their slots for their vaccination. Of these students, 101,000 have received their first dose already.
But there are still many students who haven’t yet registered. To counter this problem, teachers are trying to reach out to parents and students who have not responded to invitations for COVID-19 vaccination, said Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman on Monday (June 14).
The authority’s objective is to understand their problem and provide any assistance if needed.
What Parents Must Know About Vaccination And The Assistance They Can Get
Image courtesy: Pexel
If you are unsure of the details of the vaccination process in Singapore, here’s a quick run down of the key information:
- Parents who do not know how to (sign up) can receive help from the teachers. Minister Maliki said, “It could be an issue that they are not quite familiar with the online system.”
- If you have any concerns about the safety of the vaccine or any doubts, teachers will reach out to you to get your doubts resolved.
- Some parents may face challenges taking their children to the vaccination centres, especially those who are working and have younger children to care for. If you are in such a position, all you need to do is get in touch with the schools and the teachers. Mr Osman said, “The schools are ready to help facilitate bringing some of the students together perhaps to a vaccination centre, or creating better transportation facilities for them to do so.”
The Education Ministry is hoping that all students can receive their second dose by the end of August, “but that all depends” on the response rate, stated Dr Maliki.
Vaccination Centre: Their Current Status In Singapore
As you may know, June 14 was also the first day of vaccinations for ITE students. At ITE College West, about 280 students got their first jab. All three ITE College vaccination centres are open, and the fourth MOE vaccination centre at Raffles City Convention Centre will start operations from today (June 15).
There are 28,000 ITE students across Singapore, and they can register for the vaccination directly through their schools for the centre set up in their respective colleges.
Plus, about 345,000 SMSes and invites had been sent to eligible students. About 90 per cent of the graduating students have already registered, and about 75 per cent received their first doses, according to Dr Maliki.
“Students won’t be stigmatised”
Image courtesy: Pexel
Responding to whether vaccinated and non-vaccinated students will be subject to different measures when they return to school, Dr Maliki said: “The last thing we want is for students to be identified as ‘you have been vaccinated’ and ‘you have not been vaccinated, because we do not want a situation where one becomes stigmatised for not being vaccinated.”
He further added, “Certainly, we have to respect decisions by parents, whether they would like their children to be vaccinated or not. We hope that the environment is one where everyone in the school feels safer, now that the majority would have had their vaccination by the time they resume school at the end of June.”
Schools will continue to adhere to safe management measures like practising hygiene and cleanliness standards, safe distancing and the wearing of masks.
What Parents Must Know About Vaccination Booking
Singaporeans aged 12 to 39 can register for an appointment to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. This process started on June 11, 2021.
- After registration, those in this age group will be invited to book their appointments progressively via an SMS message with a personalised booking link. You can expect to receive this SMS message a few days after registration.
- Those below 18 must obtain the consent of their parents or guardians to book a vaccination appointment.
- As parents or guardians, you may register the interest for your child or ward to receive the jabs on the registration website.
- You need to give consent for your child or ward to receive the vaccine.
- You will also need to accompany children aged 12 to vaccination sites. Those aged 13 and older will not need accompaniment.
Prep Now Because Physical Schools To Reopen from June 28
The good news is that authorities in Singapore are planning to reopen schools in stages from the end of this month as the pace of vaccinations among children speeds up.
According to a Bloomberg report, education officials shared that they are looking to resume face-to-face instruction in schools in Singapore with the return of primary and secondary school students to be staggered starting from June 28.
Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said in a Facebook post on Monday said, “Close to 90% of our students have signed up for vaccination, and 1 in 3 of them have already received their first dose of the vaccine. Going forward, we must combine vaccination with increased testing and rapid isolation of potential infection clusters to keep our schools open and safe.”
He further mentioned that from July 6th, all levels of students will return to school. Also, from June 21, institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) will gradually increase the number of students allowed back on campus.
As you get your kids registered for their vaccines, here’s some more vital information you should have.
- Those aged 18 and above can opt for either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.
- Older children aged between 12 and 17 will be offered only the Pfizer jab as the Moderna vaccine has not been approved for use on this younger age group. Therefore, be careful and alert at the time of registering and feeding in the details.
Some of you may also be concerned about the safety of the vaccine, but you shouldn’t worry. The use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children aged 12 to 15 has been assessed to be safe and effective, as stated by the Singapore’s expert committee on COVID-19 vaccination in response to an open letter by 12 doctors.
To help Singapore attain herd immunity against Coronavirus to keep your kids safe, vaccination is important. Don’t pay heed to any rumours and believe only official communication from the government.
Even after your kids are vaccinated, teach them to wear masks whenever outside and urge them to follow good hand hygiene!
News source: CNA
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