Combined Reply on Bivalent COVID Vaccines and Vaccination Centres

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1450

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWERFOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 20 OCTOBER 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Ms Joan Pereira
MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC
Question No. 3618

To ask the Minister for Health with regard to the bivalent COVID-19 vaccines (a) when will the vaccines be made available; (b) how different is this booster vaccine from the original Moderna and Pfizer booster in terms of efficacy; and (c) when should a person who have recovered from COVID-19 take this vaccine.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1451
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 20 OCTOBER 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of ParliamentMr Leon PereraMP for Aljunied GRC

Question No. 2302

To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry will consider reopening vaccination centres at community clubs and community centres in areas with higher numbers of older residents, so as to facilitate the implementation of the fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccination and for earlier doses as well; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider reopening the vaccination centre at Serangoon CC.

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1457

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWERFOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 21 OCTOBER 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of ParliamentAssoc Prof Jamus Jerome LimMP for Sengkang GRCQuestion No. 2319

To ask the Minister for Health what is the expected timeline for rolling out the bivalent COVID-19 vaccine as a second booster shot for those aged under 50 years old and below.

Answer  

Mr Speaker Sir, my response for Question no. 1 will also address the written PQ raised by Mr Leon Perera in today’s Order Paper, and a similar question raised by Assoc Prof Jamus Lim for a future sitting.

Bivalent vaccines

A couple of the questions have been overtaken by events. We have started using the bivalent Moderna/Spikevax vaccine on 14 October 2022, and the bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty is expected to be available by the end of this year. Bivalent vaccines provide better protection against newer COVID-19 variants compared to the original vaccines, and we recommend individuals who are eligible to take it.

We are prioritising persons aged 50 and above for the additional booster dose with the bivalent vaccine as they are at higher risk of severe disease from infection. We are planning to invite those aged between 18 and 49 for vaccination later in the year as we secure more supplies and I hope we will secure them in a matter of weeks. Those who are eligible and have recently recovered from a COVID-19 infection are recommended to receive the bivalent vaccine at three months after the infection.

Vaccination centres

Mr Leon Perera had asked about reopening vaccination centres at community clubs and community centres. He has specifically asked for Serangoon CC. Vaccination Centres (VC) and Joint Testing and Vaccination Centres (JTVC) are chosen based on their proximity to high population density areas, good accessibility, and availability of the venue to support vaccination operations over a sustained period of time.

Currently, 11 JTVCs and VCs, together with our network of 221 participating Public Health Preparedness Clinics and 20 polyclinics, provide sufficient convenience and access to vaccinations. As demand changes, we will continue to review the adequacy of this network.