Covid-19 vaccination invite is on first-come, first-served basis

We thank Mrs Yap Tai Perng for her feedback (How is registration for Covid-19 vaccination managed?, April 8).

Upon registering online via vaccine.gov.sg, eligible individuals aged 45 to 59 years old will receive an acknowledgement SMS.

A separate SMS with a personalised booking link will then be progressively sent out to invite these individuals on a first-come, first-served basis, based on time of registration, to make their vaccination appointments.

Our supply of vaccines remains limited by vaccine manufacturers' ability to deliver, given the high levels of global demand.

We seek everyone's understanding that slots for vaccination are being made available progressively as more supplies arrive, and we will send out personalised booking links to the registrants as soon as there are vacant slots available for booking.

We expect that eligible individuals in the 45-59 age group who had registered interest should receive the booking links by the middle of next month, and they can expect a booking slot by early June.

As at yesterday, about 200,000 people in the 45-59 age group are on our holding list.

For those who had registered at the end of last month, we expect to be able to send them the booking links within the next two weeks.

For those who registered earlier this month, they should receive the booking links by around the end of the month. Those who registered more recently will accordingly receive their booking links early next month.

For Singapore citizens and permanent residents who have more urgent needs, such as to travel overseas on compassionate grounds, or for employment or study purposes where working or studying remotely is not an option, they may make an appeal for earlier vaccination.

We will consider such requests on a case-by-case basis, subject to the availability of vaccines.

We thank everyone for their patience.

We will continue to ensure that we provide a smooth and convenient Covid-19 vaccination experience as we work towards vaccinating all medically eligible Singapore residents by the end of the year.

Dinesh Vasu Dash
Group Director
Crisis Strategy and Operations Group
Ministry of Health