Half of Singaporeans aged 12 to 39 have booked Covid-19 vaccine slots or taken first dose: Ong Ye Kung
SINGAPORE – More than half of the Singaporeans aged between 12 and 39 have booked an appointment to get the Covid-19 vaccine or taken their first dose, after the opening of 500,000 slots.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post on Tuesday (June 29) that 52 per cent of some 700,000 Singaporeans in this age group have taken their first dose or booked a slot, up from 32 per cent in the middle of the last week.
He also announced that non-Singaporeans will be able to book their appointments to get the Covid-19 vaccine from Wednesday, two days earlier than planned. This is due to Singapore now having sufficient supplies of the vaccine.
Mr Ong said: “This will better help sustain a strong momentum of vaccination. Every day matters.”
He added that the authorities’ biggest worry “continues to be our seniors”, with 25 per cent of this group not vaccinated yet for various reasons.
“We worry that as Singapore opens up, there will be more movement and activity between people, and the greater the likelihood of them being exposed to the virus,” said Mr Ong.
“So please try to persuade your loved ones to go for vaccination.”
He noted that most of the 500,000 slots for the vaccine that have opened up in the past few days are to cater to those aged between 12 and 39.
While young people are less likely to develop severe disease, they can fall very sick too, said Mr Ong.
He cited the example of Covid-19 cases spiking in the United Kingdom, especially among young people who are least vaccinated and are often out and about.
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