Chinese fleeing COVID-19 in China overwhelming SG's hospital infrastructure and resources

[saynotomsm]

Austria to monitor wastewater of flights from China​

Austria will also monitor wastewater in cities that are top Chinese tourist attractions. PHOTO: REUTERS

Jan 4, 2023

VIENNA - Austria will start monitoring wastewater from aircraft from China and in top Chinese tourist attractions as Europe mulls restrictions for those from the Covid-19 hit country, the government said on Tuesday.
As Beijing has decided to lift its “zero Covid” policy, the European Union fears a sudden influx of passengers from China could bring Covid-19 variants that may be able to evade current vaccines.
“Starting next week, Austria will examine samples from the wastewater from aircraft from China,” Austria’s health ministry said in a statement.
It added wastewater from the sewage plant of the picturesque village of Hallstatt – a top Chinese tourist destination – would also be analysed.
This is in addition to wastewater in the cities of Vienna and Salzburg, which is already being monitored as part of a national programme launched at the beginning of last year.
“With this, some places frequently visited by tourists from China are regularly examined,” the ministry said.
“This makes it possible to discover new virus variants, even if visitors from China have not entered the country with direct flights.”

The European Commission said on Tuesday that an “overwhelming majority” of the EU’s 27 member countries want passengers coming from China to be systematically tested for Covid-19 before departure.
The consensus recommendation emerged from a meeting of EU health ministry officials held Tuesday in Brussels.
A crisis meeting to be held on Wednesday on the issue will decide what coordinated measures will be applied across the bloc.
EU health commissioner Stella Kyriakides said the officials also agreed to recommend stepped-up monitoring of wastewater from flights and at airports to detect traces of Covid-19, and for member states to boost surveillance. AFP

We have this bullshit in 2020 here in SG.

https://www.nea.gov.sg/media/news/n...rials-for-assessment-of-covid-19-transmission

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Japan to tighten Covid-19 border controls for travellers from China​

Japan will continue to ask airlines to limit additional flights from China, said Japanese PM Fumio Kishida. PHOTO: REUTERS

Jan 4, 2023


TOKYO - Japan will toughen from Sunday its Covid-19 border control measures for travellers from China, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, in response to a surge of infections among such visitors.
Additional measures will require negative coronavirus tests before passengers board direct flights from China, Mr Kishida said on Wednesday, stepping up measures adopted on Dec 30.
Japan will continue to ask airlines to limit additional flights from China, he told a nationally televised New Year news conference.
“Necessary restrictions are still put in place as we are taking all possible measures to prevent infections,” Mr Kishida added.
The decision followed results of Covid-19 tests on travellers from China in recent days and similar measures by other countries, he said.
A Japanese health ministry tally shows 53 of 56 international travellers who tested positive for Covid-19 on arrival at airports on Tuesday were from China.
That compared with Monday’s figure, when all 26 visitors with positive test results were from China.

​

Most European Union nations favour pre-departure testing for travellers from China, the European Commission said on Tuesday.
Beijing has described as “discriminatory” such curbs, also imposed by South Korea and the United States, among others.
Separately, Japan’s foreign ministry said direct flights from Hong Kong and Macau would be allowed to land at airports other than Narita and Haneda near Tokyo, Kansai near Osaka and Chubu near Nagoya, easing curbs ordered last week.
Airlines must still hold down additional flights from Hong Kong and the gambling hub of Macau even after the list of destination airports widens on Sunday, the ministry added. REUTERS

 

[Eisenhut]

Come come , eat all the bats and otters in Singapore

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Thailand mandates Covid-19 insurance for visitors from some nations​

The insurance rule will ensure that visitors who test positive for the virus will be able to afford treatment in Thailand before leaving the country. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

JAN 5, 2023

BANGKOK - Thailand is mandating Covid-19 insurance for foreign visitors from countries that require negative RT-PCR test results before returning home, reinstating the entry rule ahead of the likely arrival of Chinese tourists in large numbers.
The insurance rule will ensure that visitors who test positive for the virus will be able to afford treatment in Thailand before leaving the country, Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters after a meeting on Thursday with health and tourism authorities.
Thailand had scrapped all Covid-related entry restrictions last year, including the requirements for insurance and proof of vaccinations.
South-east Asia’s second-largest economy drew about 11.5 million foreign visitors last year, compared with 40 million before the pandemic in 2019 - when nearly a quarter were from China.
Although the reinstatement of the insurance policy is narrow, Thailand joins a host of nations including Japan, Canada and France in tightening rules since Beijing announced border easing.
Thailand expects 300,000 Chinese visitors in the first quarter of this year, Mr Anutin said on Wednesday.
Mr Anutin said Thailand isn’t imposing any entry rules targeting specific nations, but only seeks to introduce safety measures that correspond with the rules in place in peoples’ home countries.

While China requires a 48-hour negative PCR test result for all incoming travellers, India has imposed a similar mandate for visitors from five countries, including Thailand and China.
The insurance requirement, effective next week, comes as China is rapidly dismantling its zero-tolerance policies, reopening the country to the world and scrapping quarantine for arrivals from Jan 8.
The world’s most-populous nation, seeking to revive its economy, will gradually reopen border checkpoints with Hong Kong from Sunday.
The Thai government will offer booster vaccines for foreign tourists at hospitals across the country at a cost, Mr Anutin said.
Thais are advised to be vaccinated with four doses and urged to wear masks in “risky” areas, he said.
Visitors to Thailand won’t be required to produce proof of vaccination at this time, said Mr Tanes Petsuwan, a deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The government last week increased its target for foreign visitors in 2023 to 25 million, with China easing rules on outbound travel being one factor. BLOOMBERG

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Germany to require Covid-19 test for China arrivals​

Passengers arriving from China will be required to present at least a rapid antigen test to enter Germany. PHOTO: REUTERS


JAN 5, 2023

BERLIN - Germany said on Thursday it would ask arrivals from China for a negative coronavirus test as infections rose steeply following Beijing’s decision to lift strict restrictions.
Germany would change its entry requirements at “short notice”, following a recommendation by European Union experts to tighten travel rules, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said in a statement.
Member states agreed on Wednesday to recommend a “precautionary approach” amid fears that unmonitored arrivals from China could introduce a new variant or subvariant of the coronavirus in Europe capable of evading existing vaccines.
Mr Lauterbach welcomed the EU’s “common answer” to the rising number of cases in China.
Passengers arriving from China will be required to present “at least a rapid antigen test” to enter Germany, Lauterbach said, without giving a specific date.
Germany would also carry out “spot checks to identify virus variants” and “waste water tests” for journeys from China, he said.
Within the European Union, Italy and Spain have already imposed Covid test requirements for arrivals from China.

From Thursday, France also required passengers travelling from China to present a negative test result. AFP

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

'More the merrier': Asia tourist hubs ready for China influx​

Nearly 9.6 million Chinese visited Japan in 2019, the biggest group of foreign tourists by far. PHOTO: AFP

Jan 6, 2023

TOKYO - In Tokyo’s Asakusa tourist district, caricaturist Masashi Higashitani is dusting off his Chinese as he prepares for an influx of travellers after Beijing ends inbound quarantine rules.
“We used to say ‘ni hao’ all the time,” he said with a laugh as he whipped up a portrait in minutes.
Nearly 9.6 million Chinese visited Japan in 2019, the biggest group of foreign tourists by far and a massive leap from the 450,000 who came in 2003.
Mr Higashitani estimates around 20 per cent of his customers were from China before the pandemic, and he and his employees picked up Chinese phrases from those visitors and each other.
He had to downsize and let staff go during the pandemic, so he is thrilled about the expected wave of arrivals, even though he admits some apprehension too.
“I wonder if an influx of too many of them might overwhelm our capacity. I’m also worried that we need to be more careful about anti-virus measures,” he told AFP.
Travellers arriving back in China will no longer need to quarantine from Sunday, removing one of the main barriers to travel for the country’s population.

The move, announced in late December, sparked a frenzy of trip planning, with searches spiking for Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and South Korea.
Chinese tourists also made up about a third of all pre-pandemic foreign visitors to South Korea and were among the top three groups visiting Thailand and Indonesia.

‘Not the time’​

At a crepe stand in Seoul, Mr Son Kyung-rak said he was already making plans to deal with a flood of tourists from China.

“We’re looking to hire and preparing to stock up,” the 24-year-old told AFP in Seoul’s popular downtown Myeongdong district.
“Chinese tourists are our main customers, so the more the merrier.”

But authorities in Seoul are more cautious.
The slump in Chinese visitors “has been a blow to our tourism industry”, said Mr Yun Ji-suk, an official from South Korea’s culture ministry.
“But now is not the time to be active in tourism marketing, due to the ongoing Covid situation.”
China’s sudden lifting of pandemic restrictions has led to a massive wave of infections, but Beijing’s refusal to share information means the scale of the surge is unclear.
It has been enough to spook governments around the world, with some countries even banning arrivals from China.
Seoul is capping flights from China, and travellers from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macau will have to test negative before travel. Mainland visitors will also be tested on arrival.
Japan has announced similar rules for China, although Hong Kong and Macau travellers are exempt.

‘Full house’​

Other Asian tourist hubs such as Indonesia have decided not to impose any restrictions.
Two million Chinese tourists visited annually before the pandemic, and restaurant owners on the resort island of Bali are hoping for a rebound.
“Before the pandemic, we had a lot of Chinese customers... At least 100 to 200 customers came daily,” Mr Kadek Sucana, who runs a seafood restaurant in the Jimbaran area, told AFP.
He is hoping for a “full house again... because Chinese tourists come in large groups”.
While Beijing has loosened many of its Covid-19 restrictions, overseas travel by tour groups remains banned.
And there is little sign that the availability of flights will quickly catch up to renewed demand.
As a result, travel destinations throughout Asia are expecting any rebound in Chinese tourists to be slow.

Indonesia is aiming for just over 250,000 Chinese tourists in 2023, a fraction of pre-pandemic figures.
Thailand, which is also not imposing new rules, is hoping for around five million Chinese tourists this year, less than half the number who came in 2019.
Tourism accounted for nearly 20 per cent of Thailand’s national income before the pandemic, with China its largest source of foreign tourists.
“This is an opportunity to restore our economic situation and recover from losses we suffered for nearly three years,” Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul Anutin said on Thursday. AFP

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

With few Covid-19 entry tests, South-east Asia may gain most from China's travel revival​

Thailand already expects to welcome five million Chinese travellers this year, or about half of the 10.99 million of 2019. PHOTO: AFP
J
Jan 6, 2023

SINGAPORE - South-east Asia’s tourist economies are set to be leading beneficiaries of China’s scrapping of travel bans as they have steered clear of the Covid-19 tests before entry that Europe, Japan and the United States have imposed on Chinese visitors.
Even as the virus tears through its 1.4 billion people, the world’s second largest economy is opening its borders from Sunday, a move that promises to unleash a wave of travellers eager for diversion after three years of strict curbs at home.
Such newly mobile Chinese tourists will opt for “minimal hassle” and head for destinations that do not demand testing, which in turn stands to benefit South-east Asia, said CIMB economist Song Seng Wun.
“The busier regional airports are, the better it is for their economies,” he added.
While Australia, Britain, India, Japan and the United States are among the nations that require a negative Covid-19 test from inbound Chinese, South-east Asian countries, from Cambodia to Indonesia and Singapore, have all declined such requirements.
Except for airplane wastewater testing by Malaysia and Thailand for the virus, the region’s 11 nations will treat Chinese travellers like any others.
“We are not taking the stance of discriminating (against) any countries,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Interest in the region waxed high even before news of its lack of test requirements.
As many as 76 per cent of Chinese travel agencies ranked South-east Asia as the top destination when outbound travel resumed, according to a survey released in December by trade show ITB China.

Welcome back​

The region is home to many tourism-reliant economies in which Chinese used to make up the bulk of visitors to beach paradises, luxury malls and casinos that have all been hit hard by their absence in the last few years.

Now, their tourism industries are gearing up to welcome Chinese travellers back.
In 2019, 155 million Chinese travelled abroad, spending US$254.6 billion (S$342 billion), or close to the GDP of Vietnam, said Citi, whose researchers expect “meaningful recovery” in mass tourism to start in the second quarter of 2023.
In Vietnam, almost a third of the 18 million foreign arrivals in 2019 were from China, while about a fifth of Singapore’s international arrivals were Chinese who spent S$900 million.
Thailand already expects to welcome 5 million Chinese travellers this year, or about half of the 10.99 million of 2019. Tourism accounted for nearly 20 per cent of Thailand’s national income before the pandemic, with China its largest source of foreign tourists.
“This is an opportunity to restore our economic situation and recover from losses we suffered for nearly three years,” Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul Anutin said on Thursday.
Neighbouring Malaysia projects 1.5 million to 2 million Chinese tourists this year versus 3 million before the pandemic.
And the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents is preparing for a road show in Chinese cities to woo visitors, said its vice-president Ganeesh Rama.

Few health worries​

Officials have downplayed health worries aired by other countries, such as the United States’ concern over insufficient information and fear that more cases in China could spawn new variants of the virus.
Singapore said it had high population immunity, as about 40 per cent of its people had been infected with coronavirus and 83 per cent had been vaccinated, while it has bolstered healthcare capacity.
Dr Karen Grepin, a public health professor at Hong Kong University, agreed with that approach, adding, “Everyday, countries import thousands of cases of Covid-19 from around the world.”
In Bali, Ms Ida Bagus Agung Parta, the chair of the resort island’s tourism board, said it would “increase our defence”, as workers take a second booster dose of vaccine this month.
“Before the pandemic, we had a lot of Chinese customers... At least 100 to 200 customers came daily,” Mr Kadek Sucana, who runs a seafood restaurant in the Jimbaran area, told AFP. He is hoping for a “full house again... because Chinese tourists come in large groups”.
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen, an ally of Beijing, described other countries’ testing requirements as “propaganda” designed to “scare people”.
“Whatever other country wants to do anything, it’s their right,” Mr Hun Sen said in a recent speech. “But for Cambodia, it’s an invitation to Chinese people: Chinese tourists, come to Cambodia.” REUTERS, AFP

 

[mojito]

Wow... Thigh land can have all the "gains" they want. Medical tourism income opportunity. Privatize profits. Socialize costs.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

China on alert for new Covid-19 variant as borders reopen ahead of Spring Festival​

China is set to reopen its borders after reversing its zero-Covid policy in December. PHOTO: REUTERS

Jan 8, 2023

BEIJING – China will monitor travellers at some of its border crossings for signs of infection from a new Covid-19 variant ahead of “chun yun”, the 40-day period of Chinese New Year travel known as the world’s largest human migration.
A selected group of cities and harbours have been asked to send test samples of infected travellers for genome sequencing at the National Institute for Viral Disease Control and Prevention, according to an updated Covid-19 control plan released on Saturday.
China, which is going through a major wave of infections after dismantling its stringent zero-Covid policy in recent weeks, has yet to report any domestic cases of XBB.1.5, a descendant of the Omicron XBB subvariant that has now become the dominant strain in the United States.
But health agencies across the world, including the World Health Organisation, have raised concern that China has not been providing enough genome-sequencing information to come to any definitive conclusions.
China is set to reopen its borders after reversing its zero-Covid policy in December. The government has reduced quarantine for travellers, who under new guidelines can enter with a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 48 hours of departure.
China has yet to set a timeline for ending the pre-travel testing requirement.
It will urge customs officials to test goods being exported to ease concerns of transmissions through international shipments, healthcare official Liang Wannian told ambassadors and diplomats from 130 countries at a Friday briefing.

The Ministry of Transport announced on Saturday that it will allow crews of international voyage ships to change shifts at ports or land with no need for pre-approval from Jan 8. It will also scrap Covid-19 testing and centralised quarantine requirements upon arrival.
China’s total confirmed death toll from Covid-19 rose to almost 17,500, but there are concerns that the numbers are under-reported after the government adopted a much narrower definition for deaths from the virus.
The National Health Commission reiterated on Saturday that it will urge local governments to refrain from taking extreme lockdown measures over Covid-19, but mobility curbs can be reimposed to prevent massive outbreaks.
Local governments can order their schools to go online, impose work-from-home rules, cancel unnecessary public events and close entertainment venues in cases of emergency.
The commission pledged increased efforts to monitor conditions in care homes to protect the more vulnerable elderly residents. People aged 60 and above are encouraged to get second booster vaccinations.

At a Saturday media briefing, health officials stressed the need to step up Covid-19 prevention and treatment in rural areas as the Spring Festival approaches.
Mr Mi Feng, a spokesman for the NHC, pledged to boost support for hospitals in rural areas and accelerate vaccination among the elderly in villages.
Almost 99 per cent of township hospitals and health centres in local communities have set up fever clinics now, Mr Nie Chunlei, an NHC official, said.
The authorities have formed a group to coordinate nationwide medical supplies, he said, adding priority will be given to ensure rural hospitals have enough medicine. BLOOMBERG

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Thailand brings back Covid-19 entry rules for all international travellers​

Adults must show proof of at least two vaccinations, or recovery from the virus since July. PHOTO: REUTERS

Jan 8, 2023


BANGKOK – Thailand will reintroduce Covid-19 entry requirements for foreigners flying into the country from Monday, the nation’s transport minister said, as the South-east Asian nation prepares for an expected wave of tourists from China.
The Thai Public Health Ministry has been looking into ways to safely welcome Chinese tourists.
To prevent one nationality from being targeted, the ministry resolved that all foreign arrivals will have to prove they have been vaccinated.
Adults must show proof of at least two vaccinations, or recovery from the virus since July, according to comments from Saksayam Chidchob published on the minister’s political party’s Website.
Unvaccinated visitors will need a medical report justifying their lack of inoculations, a Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand statement posted on site said. The rules apply until Jan 31.
Additionally, visitors from countries that require Covid-19 tests for arrivals from Thailand must have health insurance during their stay, the statement said.
The civil aviation authority also released a list of 16 Covid-19 vaccines that are accepted for entering Thailand as of Jan 6.
They include one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, two doses of AstraZeneca, two doses of Moderna, two doses of Pfizer or three doses of Anhui Zhifei Logcom.
Among nations that recently reimposed Covid-19 entry rules, India this month began mandatory Covid-19 tests for travellers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.
The reintroduction of entry requirements aimed at stemming the spread of Covid-19 comes as China rapidly dismantles its zero-tolerance policies, reopening the country to the world and scrapping quarantine for arrivals from Jan 8.
Thailand expects 300,000 Chinese visitors in the first quarter of this year, after it reached a target of 10 million foreign arrivals last year in a better-than-expected recovery of its vital tourism sector.
Airlines are required to screen visitors’ eligibility to enter Thailand under the reimposed rules.
People suspected of displaying symptoms of Covid-19 will be advised to get tested on arrival.
Passengers transiting to other destinations are exempt, the statement said. BLOOMBERG, THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg discourage travel to Covid-hit China​

Patients lie on beds and stretchers in a hallway, in the emergency department of a hospital, in Shanghai, China, on Jan 4, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS

JAN 8, 2023

BERLIN - Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg on Saturday discouraged non-essential trips to China, the world’s most populous nation, as it struggles with a surge in Covid-19 cases after relaxing strict virus restrictions.
“We currently discourage non-essential trips to China. The reason is a peak in Covid infections and an overwhelmed health system,” the German foreign ministry said on Twitter.
Neighbouring Belgium and Luxembourg were swift to follow suit.
“Luxembourg is aligning itself with the German travel advisory and is currently advising against non-essential travel to China,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Belgium’s foreign ministry said on its website that “since December, China has been experiencing its biggest wave of infections due to the end of the zero-Covid policy”.
“In view of the risk of hospital overcrowding and, consequently, the risk of not being able to be treated quickly in the event of an emergency, non-essential travel is not recommended for the time being.”
More than a dozen countries have imposed new travel regulations on travellers from China.

European Union experts this past week “strongly encouraged” the bloc’s 27 member states to demand Covid-19 tests before departure for people on flights from China, and conduct random tests upon arrival.
Several EU nations – including Germany, France, Italy and Spain – have already announced Covid-19 test requirements on travellers coming from the Asian nation.


The United States and Japan are among the non-European countries to have brought in similar measures.
Chinese authorities have recently said the first wave of infections has hit a peak in cities including Beijing and Tianjin.
But the end is far from near, with officials warning of a multi-pronged outbreak in the coming weeks as city workers return to rural hometowns during the winter travel season.
Despite a rebound in infections, Chinese authorities will end mandatory quarantines on arrival in China starting Sunday and allow Chinese people to travel abroad again after three years of restrictions.
On Tuesday, Beijing condemned the imposition of Covid-19 tests by some countries as “unacceptable” and threatened “countermeasures”.
China has drastically narrowed the criteria for classifying such fatalities, meaning that Beijing’s statistics are now widely seen as not reflecting the actual number of cases.
The World Health Organisation on Wednesday criticised China’s “very narrow” definition of Covid-19 deaths, warning that official statistics were not showing the true impact of the outbreak. AFP

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

Forum: Sample wastewater of flights from China​

Jan 9, 2023

Wastewater sequencing, also known as sewage epidemiology, is a method of monitoring and tracking the spread of infectious diseases by analysing genetic material found in wastewater samples.
Singapore has used this method in battling Covid-19.
Countries such as Malaysia are monitoring samples from flights from China to check for evidence of Covid-19.
I agree with Singapore’s stance not to put restrictions on travellers from China, but it may also be a good idea for us to monitor the wastewater of flights from China.

Keiichi Hayashi (Dr)

 

[Dr Christopher Cheok C S]

Forum: Sample wastewater of flights from China​

Jan 9, 2023

Wastewater sequencing, also known as sewage epidemiology, is a method of monitoring and tracking the spread of infectious diseases by analysing genetic material found in wastewater samples.
Singapore has used this method in battling Covid-19.
Countries such as Malaysia are monitoring samples from flights from China to check for evidence of Covid-19.
I agree with Singapore’s stance not to put restrictions on travellers from China, but it may also be a good idea for us to monitor the wastewater of flights from China.

Keiichi Hayashi (Dr)

It's all for saving SIA, can help China people transit to other destinations.

Data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency obtained by The Washington Post showed a 23.2 percent infection rate for short-term visitors from China to Korea https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/01/07/china-covid-infections-testing-airport-arrivals

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

More Chinese tourists visit S’pore clinics to get jabbed against Covid-19 with mRNA vaccines​

MOH said that those on short-term visit passes can purchase vaccines at non-subsidised rates under Singapore’s Private Vaccination Programme. PHOTO: ST FILE

Ng Wei Kai

Jan 12, 2023

SINGAPORE – More tourists from China are visiting Singapore clinics to get vaccinated against Covid-19 with mRNA vaccines, as leisure travel between the two countries resumes after nearly three years.
Healthcare chain Raffles Medical, which operates 34 clinics in Singapore, said last week it has noticed a steady flow of visitors from China coming to get Covid-19 jabs here since the latest bivalent vaccine by Moderna was rolled out here, with an increase of about 5 to 10 per cent seen towards the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, Parkway Shenton said it has seen more Chinese nationals coming for mRNA vaccines, and has received queries from Chinese travel agents about tourists receiving such vaccines.
But Thomson Medical, another large chain, said it has seen no uptick in vaccine demand from Chinese tourists.
This comes as China reopens its borders and scraps quarantine requirements, effectively allowing leisure travel to resume for its 1.4 billion citizens after nearly three years of isolation due to its Covid-19 policy.
In response to queries, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Wednesday that those on short-term visit passes here, which includes most tourists, can purchase vaccines at non-subsidised rates under Singapore’s Private Vaccination Programme. The programme began in April 2022 to cater to those who do not qualify for the National Vaccination Programme.
MOH said that, as at Jan 1, 2023, around 3,000 doses have been administered and that of these, 95 per cent went to short-term visit pass holders.

MOH added that it monitors the number of vaccine doses that are administered through the programme, and it has not observed a significant increase in the number of doses administered under the PVP in December 2022.
It added that there is sufficient stock available for Singaporeans and residents under the National Vaccination Programme.
Parkway Shenton added that it is consolidating enquiries and working with the relevant stakeholders to secure the necessary vaccine stocks. It said that the mRNA vaccines offered under the PVP come from a different pool than those that supply the National Vaccination Programme.

The healthcare chain also added that Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs), which provide vaccines under the Private Vaccination Programme, are not participating in the national programme nor providing any other Covid-19 vaccines.
At Raffles Medical, a Moderna bivalent vaccine dose costs $140.40. To get one, one must be at least 18 years old and produce their vaccination record to be advised of eligibility.
A Raffles Medical spokesman said last week: “We expect a steady increase as Chinese Nationals begin their overseas travelling again. Some possible push factors include the need to maintain their fully-vaccinated status depending on the countries that they are travelling to, and to stay protected against Covid-19.”
Parkway Shenton’s medical director Edwin Chng attributed the interest in the vaccine from Chinese travellers to the lack of access to non-mRNA vaccines in their home country. He said: “They want to get better protection with mRNA vaccines.”

mRNA vaccines, like the ones manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna that most Singaporeans have received, are not readily available in mainland China, which has mostly administered its home-grown Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. These use the traditional inactivated virus technology and are generally understood to be less effective than mRNA vaccines.
Inactivated vaccines – an older technology used in the polio and influenza vaccines, among others – are made up of dead viruses, unlike mRNA vaccines, which use just parts of the virus’ genetic material to stimulate an immune response.
Studies here and abroad have found that mRNA vaccines stimulate a stronger immune response to the Covid-19 virus than inactivated vaccines, though inactivated vaccines have been shown to prevent severe disease.
China is currently in the grip of a surge of Covid-19 cases, brought on in part by the relaxation of tight restrictions.
Infectious diseases specialist Leong Hoe Nam told The Straits Times on Thursday that Singapore and its low Covid-19 death rate are viewed by many as reputable, which may be an important factor for many Chinese deciding to come here for the vaccine.
Dr Leong said: “They may also trust in Singapore’s healthcare system, with its high level of transparency, and Singapore is a tourist destination, so they may also want to kill two birds with one stone.”