FAQs - Post-vaccination Matters

Are there any side effects? What should I do if I suffer from any side effects?

The vaccine has been assessed to be safe for use. However, you may experience common side effects, similar to other vaccines. Most side effects are mild or moderate, and usually get better within a few days. The table below lists some common side effects that have been reported with this vaccine, and how to manage them.

See a doctor if:
• The side effects persist or get worse
• The fever persists for more than 48 hours (2 days)
• Respiratory symptoms such as cough, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath or loss of sense of taste and smell develop
• Heart or chest symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or abnormal heart beats develop.

In very rare cases, this vaccine can cause a severe allergic reaction. Signs of a severe allergic reaction include difficulty breathing, swelling of your face, throat, eyes or lips, a fast heartbeat, dizziness and weakness, a bad rash all over your body.  If you experience a severe allergic reaction, seek medical attention immediately. Call 995 or go to the nearest A&E immediately.

How long do we have to observe and report the side effects from the vaccine? Which side effect takes the longest to manifest?

Most side effects will resolve within 3 days. Though uncommon, lymphadenopathy (lymph node swelling) can be vaccine-related and takes around 7 to 10 days to resolve.

Would there be post-vaccination monitoring in place, e.g. will some staff and residents continually be tested for COVID-19 virus antibodies, to determine durability of the vaccination response?

As a condition for the interim authorisation under PSAR, vaccine companies including Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty are required to monitor the longer term efficacy of the vaccine to determine the duration of protection against COVID-19, as well as follow up on the safety of the vaccine for a longer period of time to determine its full safety profile. Vaccine companies must continue submitting the longer term follow up data to HSA to assure the continued effectiveness and safety of the vaccine. HSA will actively review the data to ensure that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the known risks. When sufficient data is available for full registration, the companies will be required to file an application to transit the status of the product from PSAR interim authorisation to full registration.

Research studies will be conducted to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 vaccination, including the durability and the extent the vaccine is able to prevent transmission. Hence, vaccinated persons may be recruited for such studies.

What happens if I develop an allergic reaction to my first dose?

You should seek medical attention, if you experience a possible allergic reaction to the first dose (e.g. eye or lip swelling, hives, generalised skin rashes, breathlessness).  Fever, chills, muscle pain, headaches, injection site pain are not allergic reactions.

You should discuss your suitability for COVID-19 vaccination with your doctor. Persons with an allergic reaction assessed to be caused by the vaccine and who are advised that they should not take the subsequent dose of the vaccine, should cancel the appointment for it.

Nevertheless, persons who had developed the following skin reactions to a previous dose of the mRNA-based vaccine may be able to receive a subsequent dose of the same vaccine:

a.     Non-severe skin reactions occurring more than four hours after vaccination without other symptoms
b.     Non-specific skin symptoms such as itching without a rash, a red patch beyond the injection site or eczema
c.      Flares of underlying skin condition such as psoriasis and eczema

Medical personnel at the vaccination sites will also assess the suitability of individuals to receive the vaccination before they are vaccinated.

Who can get their overseas COVID-19 vaccination records ingested into the National Immunisation Registry (NIR) and what must they do?

A 

All individuals aged 12 years and above who have been fully vaccinated overseas with any vaccines approved under the WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL) can get their overseas vaccination records ingested into the National Immunisation Registry (NIR). This includes Singaporean Citizens (SC), Singapore Permanent Residents (PR), Long-Term Pass Holder (LTPH) (e.g. Long-Term Visitor Pass, Work Permit, Employment Pass, S Pass, Dependent Pass, Student Pass) and Short-Term Pass Holders (STPH). For STPHs, this would only be relevant to those who intend to stay in Singapore for more than 30 days. You may call ahead to any clinic to check if they provide such services. You can also refer to phpc.gov.sg for a listing of clinics who may provide such services; please call ahead to check. The full cost of the service will be borne by the individual.

If their overseas vaccination documents are not in English, they will need to get the documents translated by a translation service provider, embassy or notary public. Both the original overseas vaccination document and translated document must be brought along when visiting a private healthcare provider in Singapore for serology testing.

After arriving in Singapore, the individual will need to visit a healthcare provider who will do the following:

1. Review the individual’s overseas vaccination documentation - either the original hard copy vaccination certificate or digital vaccination certificate (with translated document where applicable).

2. Perform a serology test. (See next question for details.)

3. Update the individual’s overseas COVID-19 vaccination record(s) to NIR as long as the individual (i) has overseas COVID-19 vaccination documentation, and (ii) whose serology test result is positive.

4. Individuals will see their vaccinations status on TraceTogether or HealthHub app within 24 hours after clinic has notified NIR of their overseas COVID-19 vaccination records.

What type of COVID-19 serology testing is required?

 A

The serology test used should detect antibodies generated in response to the vaccine. As most COVID-19 vaccines are based on the spike (S) protein of the SAR-CoV-2 virus, a serology test that detects anti-S antibodies should generally be used (tests for Neutralising antibodies can also be used, as Neutralising antibodies are directed against part of the spike protein). An anti-N (nucleocapsid) serology test may be used for persons vaccinated with inactivated virus vaccine. There is no need to distinguish between IgG and IgM, and a qualitative assay of total antibodies can be used.

Why is serology testing required before overseas COVID-19 vaccination records of SCs/PRs/LTPHs can be accepted into Singapore’s IT systems?

 A

The serology test is an additional means, on top of vaccination documentation, to confirm that a person has undergone effective vaccination.

I have taken 2 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna vaccines overseas. These two vaccines are approved by Singapore. Why do I still need to do serology test?

 A

Serology testing provides a means for MOH / HPB to verify your vaccination status prior to data ingestion.

Will the results of serology testing done overseas be accepted in Singapore?

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No, serology testing needs to be done in Singapore.

Will serology testing be required for those who have received partial or complete COVID-19 vaccination overseas?

 A

The serology test requirement would apply across board to those who have received either partial or complete COVID-19 vaccination overseas.

How soon can an individual know his / her serology test result?

 A

This will depend on the clinic and the laboratory running the test. You can ask the clinic when you can expect the result.

What should an individual do if he/she receives a negative serology test result?

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A negative serology result implies that the individual’s overseas vaccination was not effective and may not protect from COVID-19 infection. The individual may be advised to take the vaccination in Singapore by checking their eligibility and registering at https://preregister.vaccine.gov.sg or call the MOH COVID-19 hotline at 1800-333-9999 for assistance.

Is it safe for an individual to re-take the COVID-19 vaccination if the serology test result is negative?

 A

There are no known safety issues with re-taking the COVID-19 vaccination. However, some may experience more noticeable side effects such as injection site pain, muscle aches and fever.

Can an individual take a different brand of COVID-19 vaccine if he / she needs to re-take the vaccination?

 A

Such individuals should complete a vaccine series with a vaccine under the National Vaccination Programme. The vaccine series need not be of the same brand as that reported to have been taken previously.

Does an individual need to pay for the vaccination if he /she needs to re-take the vaccination?

 A

Under the national vaccination programme, COVID-19 vaccination is free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore.

Can Singapore residents who were vaccinated here request for a serology test at GP clinics to confirm that their vaccination was effective? Why not?

 A

There is no need for Singapore residents to request for serology testing after receiving their COVID-19 vaccination locally, as serology testing is not required to verify your vaccination status.

If you took a Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty or Moderna vaccine overseas and tested serology positive, your medical provider will submit the details of your overseas vaccination data into NIR and your vaccination records/status can be viewed on HealthHub (HH) and TraceTogether (TT) app within 2 days.

If you took other WHO EUL vaccines (eg AstraZeneca, Janssen, Sinopharm, Sinovac) and tested serology positive, your medical provider will submit the details of your overseas vaccination data into NIR. You can then view your vaccination record on HH within two days. We are working on having this also shown on the TT app by end August 2021.

If your vaccination status is reflected as "Not Vaccinated" or "In Progress" or "Waiting to take effect", it may be due to the following reasons:

• You have not completed all doses of the vaccination.
• The interval between your vaccination doses is outside of the recommended minimal interval for the vaccine. Please refer to www.vaccine.gov.sg for more information on the recommended interval between doses.
• It has been less than 14 days since you received the final dose of the vaccine. The vaccine will only fully take effect 14 days after your last dose. For avoidance of doubt, Day 1 is taken as the day of the final dose of the vaccination and Day 15 is taken as the day the vaccination is effective.
  

To check if your vaccination status is accurately reflected, please visit https://go.gov.sg/vax-status-query.

It may be due to the following reasons:

• The result of your serology test conducted in the local private clinics providing the service is negative.
• The local private clinic providing the service is waiting for your serology test result.
• Your local serology result is positive, and pending submission of your vaccination data into NIR by your medical provider. Once submitted, it should be reflected as “Vaccinated” within 24 hours.
• You have taken an additional dose in Singapore and it has been less than 14 days since you received it. The vaccine will only fully take effect 14 days after your additional dose. For avoidance of doubt, Day 1 is taken as the day of the final dose of the vaccination and Day 15 is taken as the day the vaccination is effective.

Alternatively, you may visit https://go.gov.sg/vax-status-query to check if your vaccination status is accurately reflected.

Your vaccination status will be reflected as “Vaccinated” in HealthHub if you were 
a) vaccinated overseas with WHO EUL vaccines other than Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnatry and Moderna, and you have been tested serology-positive i Singapore; or
b) vaccinated in Singapore with Sinovac-CoronaVac.

Your vaccination status will only be reflected in TraceTogether and business’ SafeEntry (Business) apps by end August 2021.

If you need to access your vaccination status urgently for eligibility checks for vaccination-differentiated safe management measures(SMMs), you can login to HealthHub to present your vaccination status or present a hardcopy of Singapore national vaccination card/slip along with your government-issued photo identification card for verification purposes. More information on the full list of acceptable documents for vaccination-differentiated SMMs can be downloaded here.

Please visit www.vaccine.gov.sg for more information or contact 1800-333-9999 for assistance.

Jurisdictions have different travel restrictions and requirements, please verify jurisdictions’ restrictions and requirements before you travel.

Travelers should check the MFA website (https://www.mfa.gov.sg/where-are-you-travelling-to) for the latest travel advisories to other countries/ regions, as well as the immigration authority or embassy of the destination country/ region on the relevant health requirements imposed on travelers from Singapore. Travelers should also take note of the latest travel advisory for Singaporeans and residents of Singapore published by MOH (https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19).

For purposes of travel, Singpass users vaccinated through the National Vaccination Programme can request for a digital vaccination certificate from Notαrise (https://www.notarise.gov.sg) before their journey. This will be sent to their email and Singpass app and we also encourage users to print out their certificates prior to their trip.

Please be aware that the use of this digital vaccination certificate is subject to the prevailing entry requirements of the destination country. We are actively engaging international counterparts and monitoring global developments on the development and recognition of digital vaccination certificates for travel purposes.