Events with more than 500 participants will also not require vaccination-differentiated measures
Events with more than 500 participants will also not require vaccination-differentiated measures
Singapore ready to lift COVID-19 Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Sunday that a ban on non-vaccinated individuals has been put in place since Monday, but is ready to take such measures if necessary to reduce infection rates and protect non-vaccinated people. .
With vaccination-differentiated measures (VDS) being completely lifted on Monday, the minister said such restrictions aimed at protecting unvaccinated people in crowded areas had prompted many people to get vaccinated , given that they are now, it is better to leave them. Not that wide.
“Today VDS is very light and restaurants have an honesty system with random sporadic enforcement,” Ong said while speaking to the media at a club event.
“It’s not that VDS doesn’t work. In its current form, which is lightweight, I guess it doesn’t work either. So, we can even take it down with the understanding that we can get to a reasonable level.” Can grow. When we really need it.”
In a statement, the health ministry on Friday announced that VDS will not be required for meals at food and beverage establishments with more than 500 participants, nightlife establishments where dancing takes place, and hawker centres.
Asked if there are any concerns that people over 50 won’t get their fourth booster shot, Ong said he doesn’t think it’s in his view that VDS isn’t currently widespread, and he urged those in it. Appeals age group to stay up to date with their COVID-19 vaccinations.
“When you’re fully vaccinated and up to date, your chances of getting infected and having a very bad outcome are very, very low. Do it for your own safety and don’t listen to the rumors spreading outside,” says Ong. The Straits Times newspaper was quoted as saying.
Ong said the government has been transparent about reactions caused by vaccines, with the Health Sciences Authority publishing serious adverse reaction events every three months.
Such cases mostly get better on their own, he said and while there are risks to each type of vaccination, it must be weighed against the cost of remaining unvaccinated.
“Come December, we don’t know what kind of version will come or what version will come in Singapore. If it’s something dangerous, we don’t want us to be careful,” the minister said.
“So now that we have the time and space, get yourself properly vaccinated with bivalent vaccines. This is the best protection we have for whatever may come in December,” Ong said.
The health ministry has said that it will replace the original Moderna/Spikevax vaccine with the updated bivalent version from October 17, and will be available to all adults aged 18 years and over.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Ong said clinical studies show the bivalent version has a similar safety profile to the original Moderna/SpikeVax.
“Serious adverse events (SAEs) have been reported in about six out of 100,000 immunizations of the original formulation, and all have recovered or are recovering,” he assures.
“HSAs have also reported a decreased rate of SAEs with further shots (i.e. there are fewer adverse reactions after taking the booster than after taking the primary series),” he said.
In the post, Ong clarified that getting infected with COVID-19 is considered a shot for the purposes of achieving minimal protection, not as a substitute for the shot to keep up to date with vaccinations. Is.
Meanwhile, Singapore on Tuesday reported 6,888 new COVID-19 infections, a jump from 2,587 new local cases a day earlier.
The number of cases usually increases on Tuesday, as people socialize over the weekend, with media reports attributing the increase in the days following the return of the F1 Grand Prix race, which last Friday to Sunday by 300,000. attracted more people. ,
The race was not held in the last two years during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As of Thursday, Singapore’s total COVID-19 cases stood at 936,270 and 1,625 related deaths since the disease.