Booster vaccine programme to be extended to persons aged 12 to 17 in Singapore

SINGAPORE — From early next month, the booster vaccination programme will be extended to those aged 12 to 17 years old, the multi-ministerial taskforce on COVID-19 said on Friday (21 January).

The extended programme will start with those aged 16 and 17 years, followed by those aged 12 to 15 years.

All those between the age of 12 to 17 years will require the consent of their parent or guardian to book an appointment. Parents or guardians will receive an SMS with a personalised booking link to the mobile number that they have registered with for the primary series, to provide consent and book their child or ward’s booster vaccination appointment.

They can be boosted in any vaccination centre offering the Pfizer- BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine and should bring the personal identification of their child or ward for verification.

Parents or guardians of children or wards aged 13 and above are not required to accompany them on the day of vaccination. However, children or wards aged 12 and students in Special Education (SPED) schools will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The authorities will work with SPED schools, and more details will be shared at a later date.

Individuals aged 12 to 17 years who are medically ineligible for the Pfizer- BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine will be offered a Sinovac-CoronaVac booster dose. This will also be extended to children aged 5 to 11 years who are medically ineligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine for their primary vaccination series.

Consequently, the requirement for the fully vaccinated status will be amended for this age group.

Previously, the authorities announced that from 14 February, persons aged 18 years and above who have completed the primary vaccination series and are eligible for booster vaccination will be considered as fully vaccinated for only 270 days after the last dose in their primary vaccination series. Upon receiving their booster, they will continue to maintain their vaccinated status.

Starting from 14 March, persons aged 12 to 17 years who have completed their primary series and are now eligible for booster vaccination will also be considered fully vaccinated for only 270 days after their last primary series dose, and will require a booster dose to maintain their vaccinated status thereafter.

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