SINGAPORE – From Saturday (Oct 9), healthcare workers, frontline workers and those aged 30 and above will be invited to take Covid-19 vaccine booster shots.

They will join those aged 50 to 59 who have been receiving their booster shots from Oct 3.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said the booster jabs will be administered to these groups of people who have received their two-dose regimen at least six months ago.

“Our healthcare and frontline workers are more likely to come into regular contact with Covid-19 cases in the course of their work and are at greater risk of infection,” it said.

Those in institutions such as prisons and residential care facilities will also get booster jabs, said MOH, as these places are indoor settings with higher human density and thus predisposed to large outbreaks of Covid-19.

“We are also working with various institutions to progressively roll out booster vaccinations to eligible persons in institutionalised settings,” the ministry added.

In addition, expanding the booster programme to those aged 30 and above will help to raise the overall level of protection in the population, MOH said.

From Saturday, people in this group will receive a text message with a personalised booking link at the mobile number that they had earlier registered for their first two doses, to book an appointment on www.vaccine.gov.sg.

They can get their booster dose at any vaccination centre or participating Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC).

As at Thursday (Oct 7), almost 372,000 individuals have received their booster dose.

About 57 per cent of people aged 50 to 59 and 72 per cent of seniors aged 60 and above have either booked an appointment or already received their booster dose.

In addition, MOH recommended that those who are moderately and severely immunocompromised receive a third dose of the mRNA vaccine two months after their second dose.

These include people with the following conditions:

– Transplant patients on immunosuppressive therapy, including solid organ and allogenic stem cell transplants

– Cancer patients on active treatment with chemotherapy and immunosuppressive therapy

– Bloodcancers, such as lymphoma and leukaemia

– Immunosuppressive treatment for non-cancer conditions

– End-stage kidney disease

– Advanced or untreated HIV

These people can take their booster dose six months after the third dose.

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