To date, Singapore is ahead of its major trading partners in Asia-Pacific with its vaccine roll-out. According to TheEdgeMarkets, Malaysia’s first batch of 312,390 doses of the Pfizer/ BioNtech vaccine arrived in Malaysia on Feb 21, from Singapore, the hub for distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine to Asia-Pacific countries, by air and overland.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that Covid-19 vaccination for seniors started on Feb 22. Seniors aged 70 years and above are receiving personalised letters from MOH. The Ministry says vaccine supply is currently limited. Vaccinations are being rolled out in phases, starting with groups who are at greater risk and need the vaccine most, such as frontline workers and the elderly. Singapore has controlled the spread of Covid within the community, and also in the worker dorms, and most of the reported cases are from inbound travellers.
However, Singapore is still a long way from achieving herd immunity, which is usually defined as around 70% of the population being vaccinated. As at Feb 10, 256,000 doses have been administered to Singaporeans and long term-residents, with 4.5 doses given per 100 people. With the start of the vaccination of the 70s and above age group from Feb 22, the doses per 100 ratio is likely to rise.
