Singapore says booster shots will be required to maintain people’s vaccination status, as the city-state prepares to tackle an expected wave of the Omicron Covid-19 variant that’s seen to have less severe effects.
From Feb 14, those aged 18 years and above will be considered fully vaccinated for 270 days after their second jab and should get their booster from around five months to maintain that status, the health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. In addition, Singapore will continue to lean on home recovery and testing to manage its virus cases, such as allowing asymptomatic cases to isolate at home, it said.
Being fully vaccinated in the city-state is now a requirement to enter shopping malls as well as offices. Singapore, one of the most vaccinated countries in the world, has also started its inoculation drive for younger children, and is pushing ahead with a booster program.
The island nation is bracing for an Omicron wave that’s anticipated to be bigger than the last Delta wave. Already, Singapore has detected over 2,000 Omicron cases -- though only three have needed oxygen supplementation -- and authorities said that cases of this variant may hit 15,000 in a worst-case scenario. While cases have been largely mild, the increased numbers of hospitalised cases can threaten to overwhelm the limited capacity in hospitals here, officials said at a briefing on Wednesday.
Living with Covid-19
Still, they reiterated the country’s determination to keep on its reopening path and avoid dialling back on measures unless the health care system is compromised.
“Even with the emergence of Omicron, we remain committed to living with Covid-19,” trade minister Gan Kim Yong said at a briefing on Wednesday. “In fact, with Omicron being highly transmissible and spreading faster, it is even more certain that it is not possible to eradicate the virus.”
There have been increasing signs of fatigue with strict curbs, including current limits capping social gatherings to a maximum of five people. Last week, an impromptu New Year’s Eve street party involving hundreds of revellers prompted a rebuke by the authorities for flouting safe-distancing rules. Mobility levels on public transport in the city has also risen significantly above pre-pandemic levels, according to data compiled by Apple Inc.
Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said Singapore intends to stick to its current measures as far as possible. Rules will be maintained throughout the Lunar New Year period that begins Feb 1. “We don’t intend to relax further at this time, and we’ll try not to have to tighten,” he said. “If our healthcare system comes under tremendous pressure, then as the last resort, we may have no choice but to tighten some of our measures.”
