SINGAPORE – Singapore will start vaccinating schoolchildren against Covid-19 soon, said the prime minister yesterday, after officials warned that new strains are affecting youngsters more.
The city state recently tightened curbs following a slight uptick in cases, after months of reporting barely any local transmissions.
This includes closing schools amid signs that new variants, such as the one first detected in India, are affecting children in greater numbers.
In a televised speech, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced that students aged 12 and over will be the next group to be inoculated.
Health regulators approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds this month. It was previously allowed only for those aged 16 and above.
“In this latest outbreak, we have seen more cases of children getting infected, in schools and tuition centres,” said Lee.
“The children were not seriously ill, but parents are naturally worried. Therefore, we will take advantage of the June holidays to vaccinate students.”
The country’s more than 400,000 students can start booking vaccinations today, with the first slots available on Thursday, said officials.
After schoolchildren, officials will inoculate adults 39 years and below – the final group that needs to be vaccinated in the prosperous nation of 5.7 million.
Lee said Singapore looks to be on track to ease its latest coronavirus restrictions after June 13 as planned, as local transmissions steadily fall.
The curbs include a two-person limit on gatherings and a ban on dine-ins.
By global standards, Singapore’s overall outbreak has been mild – officials have reported just over 62,000 infections and 33 deaths since the start of the pandemic. – AFP, June 1, 2021
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