Those who opt for any vaccines under the WHO emergency list will be considered as fully vaccinated from Aug 10

Those who opted for any COVID-19 vaccines under the World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency use list will be considered as fully vaccinated from Aug 10, when the new easing of measures kick in.

These vaccines include those who took Sinovac, Sinopharm and AstraZeneca vaccines. To be considered fully vaccinated, two weeks must have passed after the second dose.

Currently, only those who are vaccinated with mRNA vaccines Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna are considered fully vaccinated.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the new qualification is due to Singapore taking a more “inclusive” approach in recognising vaccines approved under WHO’s emergency use list.

As of Thursday (Aug 5), 78 per cent of Singapore’s population have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine under the national programme. By National Day, around 70 per cent of the population would have completed both doses.

This would make Singapore one of the most highly vaccinated countries in the world, and puts the country in a “strong position” to start its transition to a “COVID-19 resilient nation”, said Mr Ong Ye Kung, Speaking at a multi-ministerial task force press conference.

With the higher level of vaccinations expected after National Day, MOH said that Singapore can start to re-open the economy and resume more activities adopting a vaccination-differentiated approach when adjusting safe management and border measures.

Medical management protocols for its COVID-19 patients will also be reviewed and with at least 80 per cent of the population being fully vaccinated, MOH said Singapore can take the next steps in further opening up the economy, social activities, and even travel.

From Aug 10, those fully vaccinated will be able to dine out and gather socially in groups of up to five people. Those unvaccinated will be restricted to groups of two.