SINGAPORE, June 30 — Almost four in five Singaporeans aged 12 to 39 have taken their first Covid-19 vaccine dose or booked a slot for the jab, the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a statement yesterday.

This came after the authorities opened up 500,000 booking slots over the past few days to cater to the 700,000 Singaporeans in this age group.

Writing on Facebook, Singapore Health Minister Ong Ye Kung described the take-up rate of the citizens in this age group as good. 

"And I hope it will continue to rise,” he wrote.

In its statement, MOH also announced that bookings for vaccination slots will be opened for non-Singaporeans in this age group today — two days earlier than what was announced last week. 

Since the announcement, about 50,000 Singaporeans in this age group have also brought forward the date of their vaccination appointments for their first dose, MOH said.

"We strongly encourage Singapore citizens aged 12 to 39 years who have not yet registered and booked their appointments to do so quickly, so that they can be protected against Covid-19 as early as possible,” it added. — TODAY