SINGAPORE, May 5 — The Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday (May 4) said that the first shipment of American firm Novavax’s Covid-19 vaccine called Nuvaxovid has arrived in Singapore and will be offered end of May at the ministry’s first joint testing and vaccination centre located at the former Bishan Park Secondary School in Sin Ming, as well as at 20 Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs).
In a news release, MoH said that the joint testing and vaccination centre will be the first of “a new class of facilities” that will offer both Covid-19 testing and vaccination services within the same premises.
These centres are set to be operational by the end of May.
“The joint testing and vaccination centres will allow us to consolidate our resources, while ensuring testing and vaccination services remain accessible to the public.
“We are also working to onboard selected public health preparedness clinics to offer the Nuvaxovid vaccine. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks,” MoH said.
In February, the multi-ministry Covid-19 task force accepted the recommendation of MoH’s expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination to include the Nuvaxovid vaccine in the national vaccination programme.
The vaccine is meant for people aged 18 and above and can be used as both the Covid-19 primary series vaccination and a vaccine booster.
“Having considered the data on its safety, efficacy and tolerability, the expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination recommends the Nuvaxovid vaccine as an acceptable alternative to the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines in individuals aged 18 years and above, although the mRNA vaccines still remain the preferred vaccines due to their higher efficacy and the stronger immune response generated,” MoH said yesterday.
The ministry stressed that boosters and vaccination remain a critical part of Singapore’s Covid-19 strategy in ensuring that the population is well-protected against infection and serious illness.
“We urge all who are eligible for vaccinations and booster doses to receive them as soon as possible,” MoH said.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post that also carried photos of the vaccines arriving here: “If you are still not vaccinated or boosted, this is a good alternative to the mRNA vaccines to get protected against Covid-19. Get vaccinated and boosted soon.”
Nuvaxovid is the fourth Covid-19 vaccine made available for Singapore's national vaccination programme, after Pfizer-BioNTech or Comirnaty, Moderna and Sinovac-CoronaVac. ― TODAY
