Two-thirds of the population to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by National Day

Singapore is aiming to have at least two-thirds of its population to be fully vaccinated by National Day, said co-chair of the COVID-19 multi-ministry task force (MTF) Lawrence Wong on Thursday (Jun 24). 

Mr Wong wrote in a Facebook post that the authorities have been working hard to bring forward the delivery of vaccines and speed up the process. Previously, the target was to get at least half of our population fully vaccinated by August.

At the MTF virtual press conference on Thursday, health minister Ong Ye Kung added that Singapore will be able to administer up to 80,000 doses of the vaccine daily. This is a 70 per cent increase from the current 47,000 daily doses. 

Mr Ong added that as Singapore ramps up its vaccination programme, another 500,000 new slots for people to get their first dose of the vaccine is expected to be added in the next few days. 

If supplies continue to arrive as planned, most of the population who are willing to take the vaccine will have received their first dose by the second half of July. 

MOH will review the current interval between doses of six to eight weeks and reduce it to four weeks once the target has been met. 

Shortening the interval means that people will be invited to rebook to select an earlier date to get their second dose. This will allow more people to complete their vaccination and receive maximum protection sooner, said MOH. 

The priority window for Singaporeans aged 12 to 39 to register to book their vaccine appointments will be extended until Jul 1. 

Those who have already booked a slot for their first dose are also encouraged to bring forward their appointments so that they can protect themselves and their loved ones sooner. 

From Jul 2, the vaccination programme will be extended to the rest of the population. 

The vaccination programme is key to managing the pandemic in Singapore, said the MTF in an Straits Times article on Thursday.