SINGAPORE – Those aged below 45 will be invited to book their slots for Covid-19 vaccination from June, if all goes as planned, said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary in Parliament on Monday (April 5).

He added that as at April 3, around 1.05 million individuals have received at least one dose of the vaccine, of whom more than 468,000 individuals have received their second dose and completed the full vaccination regimen.

Updating the House on Singapore’s vaccination programme, Dr Janil said that about 60 per cent of eligible seniors aged 70 and above, and close to 70 per cent of eligible seniors aged 60 to 69, have received the Covid-19 vaccination or booked their vaccination appointments to date.

Additionally, about half or close to 500,000 of residents aged 45 to 59 have registered for their vaccinations so far.

“We are encouraged by the strong response,” said Dr Janil, adding that those who have registered for their vaccinations will progressively receive invitations through SMS to make appointments.

“This may take some time given the number who has registered,” he said, adding that about 17 per cent of those aged 45 to 59 have received the vaccination or booked their appointments.

The rest should receive the SMS notification by the middle of May, and they can expect a booking slot by early June, he added, in response to MPs who had filed questions about the country’s vaccination programme.

The number of vaccination centres has been expanded to 31 today, and there will be a total of 40 vaccination centres islandwide by mid-April, he said.

He noted that Singapore’s supply of vaccines remains limited by the ability of vaccine manufacturers to deliver them, given the high levels of global demand.

“This has resulted in limited booking slots in recent days. I apologise for the inconvenience caused to those who have not been able to book earlier. As more supplies arrive, we will progressively open more slots.”

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