Progress of Nation-wide COVID-19 Vaccination Programme

1 Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the progress of the COVID-19 vaccination programme since it was launched; (b) among those who took the vaccination so far, how many have suffered side effects; (c) where will the vaccination sites be located for the wider population; and (d) whether the accessibility of these sites will be considered, particularly for the elderly and those with mobility problems.

2 Mr Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Health (a) to date, what is the progress of the national COVID-19 vaccination programme; (b) what are the types of side effects observed; and (c) how many instances of severe side effects are there requiring emergency care.

3 Mr Darryl David asked the Minister for Health whether the Government can provide an update as to how the COVID-19 vaccination programme is progressing especially with regard to any adverse reactions to the vaccinations so far and how such cases, if any, have been managed.

4 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Health in relation to the COVID-19 vaccination programme for seniors aged 70 and above that commenced in late January 2021, whether steps will be taken to proactively identify and help seniors who may find it difficult to make bookings for injections or have mobility issues to receive injections.

5 Mr Ang Wei Neng asked the Minister for Health (a) what are the numbers and kinds of COVID-19 vaccines that Singapore has ordered and what are their delivery schedules; (b) how many vaccination centres will be set up in the next six months and what is the capacity of the vaccination centres; and (c) how many people have received the COVID-19 vaccination as of end-January 2021 and how many of them have shown symptoms of side effects, if any.

6 Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Health in light of the reported deaths of elderly persons in Norway after taking the Pfizer vaccine (a) whether the Government will be consulting with the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination to review the vaccination strategy in Singapore, particularly for the elderly; and (b) whether any additional precautions will be taken and, if so, what are they.

7 Ms Hazel Poa asked the Minister for Health whether a vaccination advisory service can be provided to members of the public to seek clarifications about their suitability for COVID-19 vaccination in view of their particular medical conditions such as allergies and past reactions to vaccines.

8 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health whether the Government will consider allowing citizens who need to visit an ill family member who is overseas, to take their COVID-19 vaccination before it is their turn to do so.

9 Mr Yip Hon Weng asked the Minister for Health with regard to the COVID-19 vaccination exercise (a) whether residents can be given the option to go for early vaccination if they have good reasons to travel abroad and at short notice, such as for studies, business, or on compassionate grounds; (b) whether these travellers can be allowed special dispensation to travel to COVID-19 hotspots identified by the Ministry; and (c) if so, what is the process for this category of travellers to apply for the vaccination.

10 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health (a) what are the vaccination groups for the purpose of scheduling COVID-19 vaccinations; (b) how many persons are there in each group; (c) what is the order of priority for these groups for vaccinations; and (d) whether Singaporeans who are scheduled to travel overseas for studies or essential business can be prioritised for vaccinations.

11 Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo asked the Minister for Health (a) how will the general public be notified of the COVID-19 vaccination schedule and where they have to go for their vaccinations; (b) whether there will be an option for Singaporeans who need to travel to request to have their vaccinations earlier; and (c) what is the progress of the vaccination programme and learnings so far.

12 Mr Sharael Taha asked the Minister for Health (a) whether Singaporeans who are required to work or study overseas can opt-in for early COVID-19 vaccination; and (b) if so, what is the process to apply for the early vaccination.

The Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission please to address Question Nos 1 through to 12 on the Order Paper today?

Mr Speaker: Yes, please.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Thank you, Sir. My answers will also address questions filed by Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry^1,2 for future Sittings.

Mr Speaker, the safety and well-being of Singaporeans remain our top priorities for the vaccination programme. Only vaccines that meet strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness will be used for our population.

For our vaccine programme to be successful, education and outreach play a crucial role. Singaporeans need to understand why vaccination is important in the fight against COVID-19 and be confident that the vaccines we are using are safe and effective. We must also communicate clearly when and how they can get vaccinated.

MOH has made available general information and detailed advisories through multiple channels.

The MOH website provides information on the groups currently deemed contraindicated or not, as recommended by the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination (EC19V), to take the COVID-19 vaccine. For example, pregnant women, children below 16 years of age, or those with a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergies such as eye, mouth or facial swelling, difficulty in breathing and/or a fall in blood pressure, are not recommended at this stage. Persons who are unwell or have had fever in the last 24 hours are also advised to postpone their vaccination until they have recovered.

Members of the public may call the MOH COVID-19 hotline for assistance if they have any medical queries. They may also consult their own regular family doctor. All our medical practitioners have been provided with the detailed clinical definitions of indications and contraindications to vaccination, including, for example, what is considered a history of anaphylaxis or severe allergies, or the definition of “a severely immunocompromised person”. They will be able to advise any individual on vaccine-related queries, including evaluating the specific individual's suitability for vaccinations.

Every individual will go through a screening process at the vaccination site before being vaccinated. Each person will have to declare their relevant medical conditions based on the vaccination screening form provided. A final check on the individual’s suitability and fitness for vaccination will be assessed by a trained healthcare personnel at our vaccination centres and polyclinics. These personnel will have onsite access to an individual’s salient medical history in the National Electronic Health Records if necessary, before the individual is allowed to be vaccinated.

We have made good progress in our vaccination programme. As of 31 January 2021, yesterday, more than 155,000 individuals have received their first dose of the vaccine.

More vaccination centres will be set up over the next few weeks to ensure that everyone can conveniently receive their vaccinations. The vaccination centres will be located in high population catchment areas as well as along public transport routes for greater accessibility. In total, we are planning to set up around 40 vaccination centres, with each vaccination centre planned for an estimated capacity of about 2,000 vaccinations per day on average.

Besides the vaccination centres, the polyclinics and selected Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) will also serve as vaccination sites. Currently, vaccinations are performed at nine polyclinics and around 20 PHPCs. From 1 February 2021, today, all 20 polyclinics across Singapore will also begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations. Our polyclinics and PHPCs are wheelchair accessible. To reach out to seniors with more serious mobility issues we have set up mobile vaccination teams.

We have begun vaccinations for seniors in the community. All seniors will receive personalised letters inviting them to make an appointment for their vaccinations. They will also be able to make appointments online, or they can visit selected Community Centres near them to book an appointment in-person.

Community volunteers from the People’s Association and our Silver Generation Ambassadors will be conducting house visits to answer queries and to help our seniors to book an appointment if necessary. We are very grateful for the support and participation of the community in this important national effort.

The Ministry, the Health Sciences Authority and the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination, have been monitoring international reports on vaccine-related adverse events and deaths in elderly recipients. The Norwegian health authorities and the World Health Organization’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety have found no evidence that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine contributes to an increased risk of death in the elderly.

Thus, we continue to offer COVID-19 vaccination for our seniors. It is important, it is vital to vaccinate and protect seniors, as COVID-19 infection in the elderly has been observed to result in severe or fatal illness. Nevertheless, the Ministry has reiterated to vaccination providers that doctors should review the medical history of seniors carefully to confirm that they are indeed suitable for vaccination, and that they should be monitored closely in the immediate period after a vaccination.

As with other vaccines, people who receive the COVID-19 vaccine may experience injection site pain and swelling, fever, headache, fatigue and body aches. These mild symptoms generally resolve within a few days.

Among those who have received the vaccine, there were four reported cases of anaphylaxis, which is the rapid onset of severe allergic reactions. The individuals, in their 20s and 30s, developed multiple symptoms such as rash, breathlessness, lip swelling, throat tightness and giddiness. Three of the individuals had a history of allergies, including allergic rhinitis and food allergy such as to shellfish, but none had a history of anaphylaxis which would have precluded them from receiving the vaccine.

Anaphylaxis can be controlled when detected and treated in a timely manner. As all vaccinated persons in Singapore are closely monitored, the symptoms in these four individuals were promptly detected and treated. All have recovered from the episode. One was under observation for a few hours while the others were discharged from the hospital after a day’s observation or treatment. None needed ICU support.

The incidence rate of anaphylaxis locally is about 2.6 per 100,000 doses administered. The incidence rates reported abroad is around one to two per 100,000 doses administered, after these other countries have administered millions of vaccine doses. Variations in the incidence rate are to be expected initially when the numbers vaccinated in Singapore to-date are relatively small as compared to other countries.

Currently, the benefits of getting vaccinated to protect oneself from the effects of severe COVID-19 disease and its complications, far outweigh the risk of any potential adverse events known to be associated with vaccination. We will continue to closely monitor the safety of the vaccine and ensure the vaccines used in Singapore are safe for our population groups.

We seek everyone's patience and support, as we progressively roll out the vaccinations to the whole population in tandem with the shipments of the vaccines. We have signed advance purchase agreements with Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sinovac, and are in discussions with a few other pharmaceutical companies. Due to commercial sensitivities and confidentiality undertakings in our advance purchase agreements, we cannot disclose the specific quantity of the vaccines ordered or the delivery schedules.

While there will be some delay to the shipments of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine due to the upgrading of Pfizer's manufacturing plant, we will continue to monitor our supplies closely to meet our target of vaccinating all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore by the end of 2021.

Given the present, short-term limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines globally, there is a need to prioritise the vaccinations at this point in time. We have prioritised healthcare workers and COVID-19 frontline personnel whose work requires them to be in constant contact with individuals who may be infected. These personnel include swabbers hired by Health Promotion Board, staff working at Government Quarantine Facilities, Community Care Facilities and dedicated Stay-Home Notice facilities. Seniors are at higher risk of severe or fatal illness if infected, and hence they are also given priority for vaccination. We have also vaccinated essential workers, such as those in our security services, and our aviation and maritime workers, who have a higher risk of exposure to infected individuals in the course of their work. We must keep our essential services going.

We completely understand the anxiety of Singaporeans who wish to travel overseas for personal reasons or would like to get vaccinated early. At this point when vaccine supplies are limited, we do need to prioritise our healthcare and frontline workers and seniors, for vaccination. We are therefore unable to provide vaccines at this time to these Singaporeans outside of these groups and seek their understanding. When there is greater certainty in our vaccine supply, we will consider allowing these individuals to receive early vaccination. We will announce further details at that time. Further details on the vaccination roll-out to the rest of Singaporeans and long-term residents will be announced later on.

Mr Speaker: Dr Lim Wee Kiak.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Let me just thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State when a batch of vaccine reaches the vaccination centre, when it is thawed, which means that it has to be used within six hours, if I am not wrong. So far, what is our experience when we thaw these vaccines, how many of these doses have been wasted because the person who had registered for the vaccine, did not turn up or whatever. What is our wastage right now for this vaccine? That is number one.

Number two, I would like to ask, as a Member of Parliament, I do have requests now from emails from residents who are travelling like what the Senior Minister of State had just mentioned, requesting for whether they can have a chance to have early vaccination. I would like to appeal to the Taskforce and MOH to consider setting up some form of registry for those who wants and see whether it can be prioritised, and give a chance for the public. That is number two.

We are recruiting grassroots leaders now to help us as "Vaccine Ambassadors" and some of the grassroots leaders have also been asking, if they are to be "Vaccine Ambassadors", is it possible for the "Vaccine Ambassadors" to be vaccinated at the same time, so they can better convince the residents to come forward to receive the vaccine. My issue now is, if they go forward to do house visits to convince residents to do vaccination, but they themselves are not vaccinated, then, it is very hard to convince. That is the other point.

Last of all is the side effects monitoring. Currently, now, when I receive my vaccination, there is a QR code for me to report the side effects. Is there a proactive method of sending those who have been vaccinated, for example, three days after the vaccination, to ask them to fill up a survey form as to what are the side effects and to ask them to actively scan the QR code to give the feedback.

So, I would like to urge MOH to be a little more proactive to look out for side effects. Because the main reason why people are apprehensive about vaccination, is side effects. If we can convince people that the side effects are minimal and we can report and all the side effects can be effectively treated and we can quickly nib off the myth in cyberspace, especially once in a while, you have a Facebook post to say that somebody has been vaccinated and is in ICU, you have to really investigate the truth to make sure that it does not spread and people think that we are trying to hide something.

Then, last of all is that, once you are vaccinated —

Mr Speaker: Dr Lim, I would prefer Members to keep it to two supplementary questions so that other Members can ask. And keep your supplementary questions short. Thank you.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Yes, Sir, I will just stop at that.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank Dr Lim for his questions. Our wastage rates are low. I do not have the specific number at this point in time, but in general, a vial is supplied to have around five doses. Because of the way the manufacturer does this, usually there is a bit more inside the vial. And I can tell you on average we are getting more than five doses per vial because of the way in which we have centrally controlled the thawing distribution as well as the training for the people who do the vaccinations. So, our wastage rates are low and well-managed. I do not have a specific number at this point in time that I can share with Dr Lim.

For the early vaccinations, indeed, we have set up a national appointment booking system and we have a single online portal. So, at the appropriate juncture, we would encourage members of the public who are interested to receive the vaccine – whether it is an early vaccination or as part of your schedule – to register their phone number, register their details on the portal; we will get in touch with you as soon as possible.

The suggestion about early vaccinations for grassroots leaders and other volunteers going out to convince seniors or to help seniors make the appointment, is well taken. It may not be possible to ensure that everybody has a vaccination at that point in time, but perhaps we can go at least to the point of ensuring they have a booking and then when you are facing the senior, you can say, "Well, I have not got it yet, but here is my appointment and I know that I am going to get it because I have committed to doing so."

For the adverse event reporting, I would point out that almost all adverse events documented from vaccinations, tend to have an onset very close to the administration of the vaccination. That is, hence, why we are monitoring them for 30 minutes and perhaps we are monitoring them for longer than necessary at 30 minutes. Nevertheless, the use of a single online process as well as the network that we have talked about – I mentioned earlier in my reply about how we are administering the vaccination process as well as administering the vaccination doses – means that there is a certain set number of places where information can flow into. And members of the public should approach either the place where they had their vaccinations, call the hotline where they made the booking, turn up to any one of our medical service providers, and the information around that adverse event will flow through to a single interface and we will have sight of that across our nation so that we track the adverse events very, very closely.

But as I explained in the earlier reply, our adverse events are well within the expected rate.

Mr Speaker: Mr Gerald Giam.

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): Sir, given that the Government has signed advance purchase agreements with Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Sinovac, will these agreements have any bearings on whether the latter two vaccines are eventually approved? Secondly, will MOH roll out only the safest and most effective vaccines available or are there other factors like price and country of origin that are considered?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, the factor that is taken into account as to whether a vaccine is licensed for us here in Singapore, is quite simply that they have strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. And that is the process through which the licence is evaluated for the vaccine and how we manage the process going forward. I am afraid we cannot talk too much about the agreements that we have with the various companies because of the confidentiality of those undertakings.

Mr Speaker: Mr Darryl David.

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Speaker, I just have one supplementary question. It is heartening to know that the cases of people who have responded, the anaphylaxis responses are low. As the Senior Minister of State has shared earlier, it is good to have all the information of how things are coming along, openly and transparently shared. Would the Government also consider perhaps a whole-of-Government communication approach using various platforms, different types of communication methods, capsules and so on, so that this information as it is constantly coming in, can also perhaps be communicated out there to our public; especially, perhaps to our seniors who might be more comfortable with certain vernacular, be it the the Chinese dialects, Malay, Tamil or even other languages? If that is something the Government can do, I think this will go a long way to communicate what is happening accurately to our public out there.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Darryl David for his suggestions. This has begun. MOH, together with all the different Government agencies involved are coordinating a whole-of-Government communications approach. MCI is supporting this as well. We will produce material in a variety of languages, we will produce material for different levels of interests – the top line messages all the way down to the detailed advisories for the healthcare practitioners. And we will distribute this across a variety of channels – letters, online, mainstream media, broadcast media.

We would ask for Members of this House to also assist us participating in this communication, to make sure that we do reach every Singaporean, every resident, explain to them the essential nature of this vaccine operation. This is to protect them, their loved ones, the community, their family and the whole country. Every single vaccination that we are able to get done, will break a chain of transmission and slow down the spread of COVID-19. Explain to them that this is a medical process and medical processes will have risks. Hence, we have put in place a very stringent, controlled environment and a series of control processes to minimise that risk and monitor them and help them thereafter. Explain to them that the vaccination is safe, the technology that has been developed, the specific vaccines that have been licensed are well researched and we have many millions of data points to assure ourselves of the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines.

Mr Speaker: Mr Murali Pillai.

Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the hon Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary for his comprehensive answers to the 12 Parliamentary Questions. I have a supplementary question in relation to donees under the Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) and deputies appointed by the Court under the Mental Capacity Act, in respect of seniors citizens aged 70 and above. For these groups of people, I wonder whether MOH or any other Government body could provide some additional assistance, perhaps developing FAQs for them so that they are able to understand what their duties are under the respective LPAs and under the Court orders and kind of juxtapose it with the requirements under the vaccination programme.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Murali Pillai for the suggestion and we will look at it. It is a good idea. I would just suggest that it is not too different from the current duties and responsibilities for donees and deputies with respect to the medical care for the people under their guardianship.

So, there is not going to be a lot of difference from that. But the specific information as to how they would exercise those duties and responsibilities, indeed, we should make very clear and we should do so.

Mr Speaker: Mr Alex Yam.

Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Thank you, Mr Speaker. Two supplementary questions for the Senior Minister of State.

First, over the weekend, the EU has issued rules tightening the export of vaccines manufactured within the EU region. I would like to ask how this affects our vaccination roll-out and the supply to Singapore. Related to that, will we at some point consider also vaccine production in Singapore to avoid any of these future issues?

On a more practical level, on various parental platforms, there have been a lot of questions from nursing mothers regarding some confusion over advice on vaccine safety for those who are breastfeeding. The current advice from the MOH website and various healthcare websites in Singapore indicate that nursing mothers should consider suspending breastfeeding for five to seven days after vaccination but then also proceed to say that if mothers are unable to suspend breastfeeding, they should still proceed to vaccinate themselves. So, there is some confusion over this advice and they are wondering if there is any other safety issues that they should consider before proceeding to vaccination. Thank you.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Alex Yam for the questions. There are no plans to change our targets for vaccination roll-out. Again, I cannot discuss the specifics around our arrangements in terms of purchases and supply volumes to the reschedules. But our plans remain unchanged.

For vaccine production locally, indeed, it is something that I am sure will be explored. But ultimately, it comes down to the licensure of a specific vaccine that is demonstrated to be safe and effective for our population.

For nursing mothers, the short answer is they should consult their health practitioner, the family doctor or one of the hotlines of our service provider to get specific advice about their case as to whether or not they should proceed with the vaccine, delay the vaccine, delay breastfeeding, have the vaccine immediately. It depends on the specific individual case of the mother. But if I could sum up the position and explain some of the reasons for the confusion, there is no absolute contraindication for a breastfeeding mother to proceed with vaccination. It is simply that we do not have enough information at this point to be so clear that they should do it without ceasing breastfeeding for five to seven days. Ceasing breastfeeding for five to seven days is the general advice that we would give for medications because that is the length of time that it exists in breast milk and thereafter it is safe. One way to look at it is if the mother has to weigh up the risks to her and her child should she come down with COVID-19 infections. Hence, on balance, it is probably better for her to get the vaccination, protect herself, her child and her family. But an option is then to delay the vaccination until breastfeeding has ceased. That is also a viable way for these mothers to proceed. But, in short, consult the doctor and get some specific advice on your individual case.

Mr Speaker: Mr Yip Hon Weng.

Mr Yip Hon Weng (Yio Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. We note that there is currently a limited supply of vaccines. Will the Ministry consider a waitlist for those who want to go for early vaccination, especially if there are strong reasons for them to go overseas, be it for health, studies, business or on compassionate grounds? Thank you.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his questions. It is something to be considered. We will be opening up the registration process and we will be looking for an indication of interest from members of the public who are eligible in this phase as well as in the future.

Mr Speaker: Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): I thank the Senior Minister of State for the update. Two questions. The first, pertaining to the certification of the Moderna and Sinovac vaccines, does the Senior Minister of State have any update on those timelines? The second question is picking up from Mr Alex Yam's first supplementary question: is the Government still on track for vaccination of the entire population by the third quarter of this year?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Pritam Singh for his questions. I do not have an update on the certification of the Moderna and Sinovac vaccinations. That will be a process for the professional teams to study the data and make sure that our licensure process is applied with its usual rigour for all therapeutic interventions.

Our plans have not changed. Our plans will, of course, be contingent upon the supply of vaccines and the questions from the Members indicate that their understanding and concern about how the supply of vaccines will affect our plans. Currently, our plans have not changed and we anticipate our programme to proceed as previously discussed.

Mr Speaker: Ms Joan Pereira.

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State. Many of the elderly are still very unsure if they should take the vaccination. However, after I have explained to them that the doctor present will speak to them and understand their medical condition and advise them accordingly, they felt a little bit more assured. But then they also asked another question: "I cannot remember the type of medication I take. So, what happens if I do not give an accurate picture of my condition?" So, I told them: "Don't worry. If you give your IC number, the doctors will be able to advise you accordingly". Then they felt a little bit more assured. Can I ask if this item can be placed in the communication material so that at least the elderly, on their part, they read it and they can understand?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank Ms Pereira for the question. Indeed, the Member is absolutely right that when a member of the public attends a vaccination centre or the polyclinic, the PHPCs, the screening process includes a healthcare professional going through your medical history as well as the medication that you have received and, if that member of the public has any queries or uncertainties, please let us know and the staff will have access to the information through the National Electronic Health Records and will be able to pull up what they need to. Ultimately, if they are still not sure and there is a need to cancel the vaccination at all, you merely can defer the appointment until perhaps a fuller consultation with a healthcare professional who understands the situation of that senior and can make a recommendation.

But, in general, the information is available and we will be able to help assure that member of the public as to whether or not they can go forward with the vaccination. But to answer the Member's specific point, to make that absolutely clear in the communication upfront that the people who are administering the vaccination will have access to these critical pieces of information is a very useful suggestion and I thank the Member for that.

Mr Speaker: Mr Sharael Taha.

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State Dr Janil Puthucheary for the clarification. Continuing off Mr Yip Hon Weng's question, my supplementary question refers to students who are hoping to return back to studying overseas or intend to study overseas, given many of our "A" Level students are awaiting their results and have an aspiration overseas. Since there is a restricted supply of vaccines and we will not be able to prioritise all of them for early vaccination, can the Ministry also consider some communication or advisory to these students on the help that they can receive overseas so that we can continue to care for our students heading overseas? Thank you.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Sharael Taha for the question. Certainly. We will make available information through our MFA colleagues and their Missions overseas as to how Singaporeans overseas can receive help. But in terms of Singaporeans overseas wanting to have vaccinations and if they plan to return to Singapore to have those vaccinations, I would point out that the total duration required for the vaccination process is not short. With the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, you need about 21 or 25 days between the two doses, and immunity is only achieved about two weeks after the second dose. So, Singaporeans overseas who are planning to return to Singapore in order to have their vaccination need to plan for that length of time, if they have a view that they need to be likely immune before they return back to where they are residing.

Mr Speaker: Ms Sylvia Lim.

Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Thank you, Speaker. I have one clarification for the Senior Minister of State. I am not sure if I heard him correctly in his initial reply regarding by when the Government plans to vaccinate Singaporeans and long-term residents. In his original reply, did he actually say "end of this year" because I thought I heard him say that, and I think this is slightly different from the previous announcements that it will be done by the third quarter of the year. So, I would like a clarification on that. Thank you.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Mr Speaker, I thank Ms Sylvia Lim for the question. We certainly have the capacity and the capability to vaccinate our population by the third quarter of this year. There is some uncertainty in terms of the take-up rate. So, if, for example, there are members of the public who will need further explanation and who will need persuading that this is the right thing and the safe thing to do, or if there are members of the public who require further medical screening, this process will take some time.

Over the next few months, we can also anticipate that further information will be available from the vaccination process that is happening around the world. So, there is a band that we are aiming for somewhere between the end of the third quarter and the end of the year. Ultimately, the outcome will be determined by a combination of our supply as well as the willingness and the engagement of Singaporeans and long-term residents to go forward to have the vaccination.

Our ability to deliver on this is present and will be present. But we hope that the communication, outreach and engagement necessary in order to make this happen is something that Members of this House will assist with.