SINGAPORE: From March 14, those aged between 12 and 17 will need to get a booster shot within 270 days of receiving their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, in order to maintain their fully vaccinated status, announced the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Friday (Jan 21).
The extension of the booster programme to this age group comes on the recommendations of the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination (EC19V), MOH added.
Currently, only those aged 18 years and above are offered a booster dose of an mRNA vaccine, under the National Vaccination Programme, five months after completing their primary vaccination series.
This group will be required to take a booster shot within 270 days of completing their primary vaccination series in order to maintain a fully vaccinated status against COVID-19 from Feb 14.
In a news release on Friday, MOH said that the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme will be progressively extended to those aged between 12 and 17 from early February.
It will start with those who are 16 or 17 years old, followed by those aged between 12 and 15.
"Vaccinations, especially boosters, will ensure we retain substantial protection against Omicron," said MOH.
"Boosters have helped dampen the rise in Omicron cases thus far and increases our protection against infection and severe illness."
SAFETY CONCERNS
At a press conference by the COVID-19 multi-ministry taskforce on Friday, MOH’s director of medical services Kenneth Mak addressed safety concerns over booster shots for this age group.
"The experience in Israel, the US and the UK has shown that adolescents are as vulnerable to breakthrough infections following vaccination, as in adults. But the booster vaccinations have been shown to increase the protection back against the Omicron variant," he said.
"Local and international data has shown that the safety profile and side effects for the booster dose is compatible with that for the first two doses and with a significantly lower myocarditis risk," he added.
Asked if a booster shot would eventually be required for children under 12 years old, Assoc Prof Mak said that "there are no plans at this stage".
"We will monitor the situation closely to see if, as in other age groups, the vaccine protection wanes over time, and whether it leads to an increased vulnerability to breakthrough infections arising particularly in the setting of other viral variants that may emerge in the future," he added.
"And at that point in time, we will make recommendations guided by EC19V on whether booster vaccinations are then required for this age group, as in the other age groups."
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMifGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vc2luZ2Fwb3JlL210Zi1jaGlsZHJlbi1jb3ZpZC0xOS1ib29zdGVyLTI3MC1kYXlzLXNlY29uZC1kb3NlLWZ1bGx5LXZhY2NpbmF0ZWQtc3RhdHVzLTI0NTA0MjbSAQA?oc=5
2022-01-21 08:08:00Z
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