Booster vaccine programme to be extended to persons aged 12 to 17 in Singapore - Yahoo Singapore News

COVID-19 booster vaccination. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

SINGAPORE — From early next month, the booster vaccination programme will be extended to those aged 12 to 17 years old, the multi-ministerial taskforce on COVID-19 said on Friday (21 January).

The extended programme will start with those aged 16 and 17 years, followed by those aged 12 to 15 years.

All those between the age of 12 to 17 years will require the consent of their parent or guardian to book an appointment. Parents or guardians will receive an SMS with a personalised booking link to the mobile number that they have registered with for the primary series, to provide consent and book their child or ward’s booster vaccination appointment. 

They can be boosted in any vaccination centre offering the Pfizer- BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine and should bring the personal identification of their child or ward for verification.

Parents or guardians of children or wards aged 13 and above are not required to accompany them on the day of vaccination. However, children or wards aged 12 and students in Special Education (SPED) schools will need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The authorities will work with SPED schools, and more details will be shared at a later date.

Individuals aged 12 to 17 years who are medically ineligible for the Pfizer- BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine will be offered a Sinovac-CoronaVac booster dose. This will also be extended to children aged 5 to 11 years who are medically ineligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine for their primary vaccination series.

Consequently, the requirement for the fully vaccinated status will be amended for this age group.

Previously, the authorities announced that from 14 February, persons aged 18 years and above who have completed the primary vaccination series and are eligible for booster vaccination will be considered as fully vaccinated for only 270 days after the last dose in their primary vaccination series. Upon receiving their booster, they will continue to maintain their vaccinated status.

Starting from 14 March, persons aged 12 to 17 years who have completed their primary series and are now eligible for booster vaccination will also be considered fully vaccinated for only 270 days after their last primary series dose, and will require a booster dose to maintain their vaccinated status thereafter.

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2022-01-21 08:09:42Z
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Children aged 12 to 17 must get COVID-19 booster within 270 days of 2nd dose to maintain fully vaccinated status - CNA

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."

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2022-01-21 08:08:00Z
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Merck COVID-19 pill molnupiravir to be produced by 27 drugmakers - CNA

BRUSSELS: A UN-backed agency has struck a deal for nearly 30 generic drugmakers to make low-cost versions of Merck & Co's COVID-19 pill molnupiravir for poorer nations, widening access to a drug seen as a weapon in fighting the pandemic.

The antiviral pill, which in December received emergency approval in the United States, reduces hospitalisations and deaths of high-risk patients by around 30 per cent, according to clinical trial results.

The deal, negotiated by the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) with Merck, will expand output by increasing the number of companies that will produce the drug, after Merck entered into licensing agreements with eight Indian drugmakers in October.

The new agreement allows 27 generic drugmakers from India, China and other countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to produce ingredients and the finished drug.

The MPP said the deal stipulated the pill would be distributed to 105 less-developed nations. A spokesperson later said deliveries from some firms covered by the deal could start as early as February.

A molnupiravir course of 40 pills for five days is expected to cost about US$20 in poorer nations, an MPP official involved in the talks with drugmakers told Reuters, citing initial estimates from drugmakers, which are subject to change.

That is far below the US$700 per course the United States agreed to pay for an initial delivery of 1.7 million courses, but twice as high as first estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO)-backed programme to procure COVID-19 drugs and vaccines for the world.

NO ROYALTIES, FOR NOW

The developers of molnupiravir, which alongside Merck are US firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Emory University, will not receive royalties for the sale of the low-cost versions made by generic drugmakers while COVID-19 remains classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO.

Bangladesh's Beximco Pharmaceuticals, India's Natco Pharma, South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare Holdings and China's Fosun Pharma are among generics firms that will produce the finished product.

Other companies, including India's Dr Reddy's Laboratories , had struck earlier deals with Merck for the production of molnupiravir. Dr Reddy's will sell molnupiravir at 1,400 rupees (US$18.8) per course.

The MPP spokesperson said there was no firm estimate yet of the likely output from generics makers covered by the deal, but that poorer nations' demand was expected to be largely covered.

The MPP works to increase access to life-saving medicines for poorer countries. It also has an agreement with Pfizer for the sub-licensing of its COVID-19 pill paxlovid to generic drugmakers.

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2022-01-20 09:46:26Z
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Endemic COVID-19: What would that mean? - CNA

Two years into the pandemic, weary governments are hoping the fast-spreading but less severe Omicron variant marks a turning point, a shift toward a more predictable and manageable phase.

Determined to escape the crisis and avoid more restrictions, officials in some countries suggest it is approaching time to treat COVID-19 as an endemic disease, like seasonal flu. World Health Organization (WHO) experts say that is premature.

With Omicron ripping through populations and vast parts of the planet still unvaccinated, the pandemic is not over. The bottom line: The path to reaching that endemic stage is full of uncertainties, posing tough questions for policymakers everywhere.

WHAT DOES ENDEMIC MEAN?

In an epidemic, a disease spreads rapidly and unexpectedly in a given location; it becomes a pandemic when it spreads globally, or over a very wide area.

A disease that is endemic is continuously present in a given population at a lower and more stable level, even if cases spike under certain conditions.

Scientists expect that when enough people gain at least some protection from the coronavirus through vaccines or prior infections, it will blunt the spread of the virus and reduce hospitalisations and deaths, so that over time COVID-19 will pose less of a threat.

The virus will not go away entirely, however, and endemic diseases can still take a serious toll. Tuberculosis and malaria, which are endemic in some parts of the world, claimed an estimated 1.5 million and 627,000 lives, respectively, in 2020.

“Endemic in itself does not mean good. Endemic just means it’s here forever,” said Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO’s health emergencies programme.

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2022-01-20 09:41:32Z
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Thailand to resume quarantine waiver for arrivals from February - Reuters

BANGKOK, Jan 20 (Reuters) - Thailand will resume its 'Test & Go' quarantine waiver for vaccinated arrivals from Feb. 1, its coronavirus task force said on Thursday, in response to slowing COVID-19 infections.

The scheme was suspended a month ago after only seven weeks due to the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant and uncertainty about vaccine effectiveness against it.

The policy requires visitors to test on arrival and again five days later, while agreeing to have their whereabouts tracked, spokesperson Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a briefing.

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Authorities also extended the hours restaurants are allowed to serve alcohol to 11 p.m. from 9 p.m. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed, however.

The moves are aimed at reviving a tourism sector that has been decimated by the pandemic, with numbers limited by weak global travel demand and Thailand's rigorous quarantine requirements.

Visitors last year to Thailand, one of Asia's most popular travel destinations, were about 0.5% of the pre-pandemic figure, which hit a record of nearly 40 million in 2019.

The taskforce also agreed to expand another similar quarantine waiver programme, the "Sandbox" to include popular eastern beach destinations Pattaya and Koh Chang.

The scheme, where vaccinated tourists must agree to stay in one location for a week, is currently operating in Phuket and Koh Samui.

Thailand has reported 2.3 million infections and nearly 22,000 coronavirus-related fatalities overall. About two-thirds of residents have been vaccinated and 15% have received a booster.

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Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Martin Petty

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2022-01-20 06:44:00Z
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China's home-grown C919 aircraft to start deliveries in 2022: Official - CNA

BEIJING: Deliveries of China's home-grown narrow-body C919 aircraft, which is yet to be certified by the country's aviation regulator, are expected to start in 2022, local media cited an official with the state planemaker COMAC as saying on Wednesday (Jan 19).

Wu Yongliang, deputy general manager of COMAC, made the comments on the sidelines of an annual meeting of the political advisory body for Shanghai city, where COMAC is based, according to the government-backed media outlet The Paper.

The C919 aircraft, China's ambition to rival Aibus SE and Boeing Co, earlier missed a previously stated target of achieving certification by the end of 2021, with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) saying the programme only completed 34 certification tests out of 276 planned.

When asked about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the C919 programme, Wu said the impact was manageable and relevant work was being carried out in an orderly manner, according to The Paper.

Reuters in September reported COMAC has found it harder to meet certification and production targets for the C919 amid tough US export rules, according to people with knowledge of the programme.

Leeham News analyst Scott Hamilton said in a note on Monday he expects the entry into service of the jet to be in 2023 or 2024.

China Eastern Airlines is the launch customer for the C919 and has a firm order to buy five of the narrow-body aircraft.

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2022-01-19 15:14:00Z
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China launches campaign to plug greenhouse gas monitoring gap - CNA

BEIJING: China will force key industrial sectors and regions to take action to measure greenhouse gas emissions as part of a new initiative to improve data quality and oversight, according to an environment ministry document reviewed by Reuters.

Under the pilot programme, some of China's biggest coal-fired power providers, steel mills and oil and gas producers must draw up comprehensive new greenhouse gas monitoring plans by the end of this year.

It comes as China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitter, needs to beef up its measurement of carbon emissions in line with its monitoring of air pollutants to meet a pledge by President Xi Jinping to become carbon neutral by 2060, say experts and environmentalists.

"In contrast to air pollutants, there is a major gap in reporting on CO2 emissions - there is no regular reporting in place that would disclose the country's total emissions," said Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst with the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

"Expanding the emission monitoring and disclosure that is currently in place for air pollutants to CO2 would be a huge step forward."

After some success in curbing the choking smog that envelops many of China's industrial cities over winter, the State Council, China's cabinet, has already promised to expand curbs on pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides and heavy metal waste.

This will require more real-time environmental monitoring stations and advanced technologies that can detect a wider range of emissions and catch companies trying to cheat, officials and environmentalists said.

But the yawning coverage gap on carbon dioxide emissions could prove the biggest challenge. China up to now has relied largely on proxy indicators - including energy consumption - to measure CO2, falling behind countries in Europe.

According to the policy document, dated September 2021 and supplied to Reuters by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), the new monitoring programme aims to provide "statistical support" for the country's fight against climate change.

Cities like Tangshan and Hangzhou, along with regions like Inner Mongolia and Yunnan, have also been ordered to assess their ability to act as carbon sinks, including forest coverage rates and land use changes.

The pilot programme, scheduled to be completed in the first three months of 2023, is designed to assess best practices for measuring greenhouse gases. It will include the oil and gas, steel and thermal power sectors, as well as waste processing, and will cover key gases like methane as well as carbon dioxide.

State companies involved in the pilot programme - including the China Petrochemical Corp (Sinopec), the China National Petroleum Corp and the Shandong Energy Corp - did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

REAL-TIME MONITORING

Around 23,000 of China's major polluters are now plugged into a national real-time emissions monitoring system that measures air pollutants like sulphur dioxide or ammonia in water, though this is still a fraction of the millions of factories across the country that require monitoring.

An accurate measure of carbon emissions has also become increasingly important for China's plans to build out its national emissions trading system (ETS), which currently covers the power sector but will later be expanded to other sectors.

"When it comes to controlling emissions, and cap and trade, and all the other issues like carbon pricing - all of this needs to be based on accurate data, otherwise it will be meaningless," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE), a non-government organisation focused on environmental monitoring.

The launch of the first phase of the ETS was repeatedly delayed partly because of data quality concerns.

Consultancy Frost & Sullivan estimated sales of environmental monitoring devices in China will surpass US$16 billion in 2023, four times the level in 2014.

But up to now there has been no legal requirement for firms to measure greenhouse gas.

IPE's Ma said monitoring CO2 would be expensive for firms, but was vital to ensure the levels of compliance required green financing and carbon trading.

"When it comes to emissions trading you need to go extremely accurate," he said, noting companies needed to be able to determine precisely how many credits to buy.

"Any slight change in parameters or emission factors could mean a difference of hundreds of millions of yuan."

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2022-01-19 07:43:00Z
CBMiVWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoYW5uZWxuZXdzYXNpYS5jb20vYXNpYS9jaGluYS1ncmVlbmhvdXNlLWdhcy1tb25pdG9yaW5nLWNhbXBhaWduLTI0NDUyMDbSAQA