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from theonlinecitizen.com:

Ong Ye Kung: We might well be the most vaccinated country in the world​


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In an interview with Singapore Press Holdings’ (SPH) radio station Kiss92 FM yesterday (16 Aug), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told the audience that Singapore is the most vaccinated country in the world.

“I think we might well be the most vaccinated country in the world,” he said.

For the Singapore’s elderly, 85 per cent of those aged 70 and above have received at least one shot of a vaccine, he revealed.

The vaccination rate for the next oldest group – aged 60 to 69 – is even higher, at more than 90 per cent, he added.

Overall, as at last Saturday (14 Aug), about 75 percent of Singapore’s population had been fully vaccinated. He continued to urge people to get vaccinated.

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As for the third booster shot, he said that Singaporeans may get it within a year. “Maybe within a year, you may have a third shot,” he said.

With regard to China’s Sinovac vaccine, Ong said that it may be slightly less effective at protecting a person against infection, but it is very effective at preventing severe illness.

“There are lots of views on Sinovac, but we go with the science. And the science is that so far, we have not seen very robust data on Sinovac’s effectiveness against Delta,” he cautioned.

As for those who cannot be vaccinated for whatever reasons, he advised, “You will just have to wait for the rest to be vaccinated. When the people around you are vaccinated, you are protected.”

According to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), a total of 47 “adverse events” have been reported from more than 104,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine that have been administered in Singapore as of 31 July. This works out to be 0.045 per cent of the administered doses.

Four out of the 47 adverse events were said to be “serious”. They included one report each of Bell’s palsy, a condition that causes temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles, anaphylaxis or the rapid onset of severe allergic reactions, vertigo with ringing of the ears, and serious allergic reactions, HSA said.

With regard to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, a total of 9,403 “adverse events” out of 7,567,466 doses have been reported as of 31 July. This works out to be 0.12 per cent of the administered doses.
 

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from theonlinecitizen.com:

Ong Ye Kung might want to consider being more careful in his choice of words where COVID-19 is concerned​


In an interview with the radio station, Kiss92FM, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung said that Singapore “might well be the most vaccinated country in the world“.

While his optimism is encouraging, I do wonder if giving the impression that we might be the most vaccinated country in the world in any way shape or form is the most responsible behaviour on the part of the Minister for Health.

While the uptake of vaccinations in our nation-state is generally high, there still remains a group of people who are either vaccine-hesitant or unable to take the vaccine.

By suggesting that we may be the most vaxxed country in the world, Mr Ong could well be encouraging reckless behaviour from those who might still be vulnerable to the disease. For example, those who are not yet vaxxed, may be under the impression, based on Mr Ong’s words, that they can drop their guard.

Further, the Government has been strict on what it considers fake news via the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) and especially where facts of the Coronavirus is concerned. Most recently, a POFMA notice was issued in relation to an article that falsely claimed that a three-year-old had died from the vaccine.

Whether or not a country is the highest vaccinated in the world is a statement of fact. There is no “might as well be” or “maybe”. With that in mind, shouldn’t Mr Ong be more mindful of the words he uses when talking about vaccinations?

According to a vaccine tracker by the New York Times, the UAE is the most vaccinated country in the world. This is followed by Malta and then Singapore. This is a statement of fact and not conjecture.

While Mr Ong may not have had any ill intent when he spoke and was more likely than not, trying to reassure Singaporeans while also bigging up his own achievements as Minister of Health and by virtue of that, the Peoples’ Action Party’s (PAP) good handling of the pandemic and vaccination programme,

Mr Ong might still consider being more careful in the words that he chooses to use — especially when talking about COVID-19.

Furthermore, the figures from Mr Ong does not seem to cover individuals such as Short Term Pass (STP) holders. It was earlier announced that STP holders who are in Singapore for long periods of time will soon be able to get their COVID-19 jabs under the national vaccination drive. Those eligible will be progressively notified via text message from 18 August, and more details will be announced shortly.

However, the Ministry of Health (MOH) did not elaborate on how long a pass holder has to stay in the country to qualify. Although STP holders stuck in Singapore take up a small percentage of the local population, they are still nevertheless important elements to address in the fight against COVID-19, particularly in light of the lessons from the recent KTV and Jurong Fishery clusters.

The times of the pandemic are confusing enough to navigate with the ever-changing rules and variants. This is a time where we look to those in leadership positions for clear guidance.
 

JohnTan

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
In an interview with Singapore Press Holdings’ (SPH) radio station Kiss92 FM yesterday (16 Aug), Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told the audience that Singapore is the most vaccinated country in the world.

Thanks to the great leadership provided by PAP, this has been made possible. Majulah PAP!
 

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OYK is encouraging short term pass holders to get vaccinated.


Ong Ye Kung

10 hrs·

Many are elderly parents who came to visit their children who have made Singapore their home. Others are foreign spouses who married Singaporeans but yet to get long-term passes. Some others are here to undergo training.
These are some of the short-term pass holders in Singapore. Many are actually living here but yet to formalise their long term stay. Others, due to travel restrictions, are unable to return home.
They too are part of the Singapore population and should be protected. It will help make Singapore more resilient against COVID-19.
They will be receiving SMSs, to make their appointments at our vaccination centres.
From today, we re-open further as part of the second step of the Preparatory Stage. The situation is stable, but we cannot let up.
Photo credit: Raffles Medical Group

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OYK explains announcements by MTF.

Ong Ye Kung

21 hrs·

A few significant announcements by #MTF today.
First, a new travel classification framework with four categories of countries and regions, with differentiated border policies. On top of that, Vaccinated Travel Lanes with Brunei and Germany from 8 Sept. This means that it will be possible for an executive, businessman or student to fly to Germany, do business or undergo internship, and back to Singapore, without SHN.
On vaccination, our Expert Committee is actively looking into starting a booster exercise. We will start to administer a third shot to those who are immunocompromised. Details will be released shortly.
Finally, home recovery. With over 98% of fully vaccinated infected persons having mild or no symptoms, home recovery is a natural step in our health protocol. The pilot home recovery will start end August — with robust monitoring and support system in place.

All these preparatory steps will enable us to be a Covid resilient society.

Video: Took this on the tarmac when we received our first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines on 21 Dec 2020.

 

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from straitstimes.com:

Covid-19-related ICU admissions on a downward trend: Ong Ye Kung​


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SINGAPORE - A return to tightened measures with the emergence of the Jurong Fishery Port Covid-19 cluster last month bought Singapore time for vaccination rates to be ramped up.

The move stopped more people from dying, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Thursday (Aug 19).

"In hindsight, it was a correct decision to throttle back to phase two (heightened alert)... Fortunately we did that, if not there will have been many more deaths," added Mr Ong.

There were eight local deaths reported from July 29 to Wednesday, seven of whom were unvaccinated seniors, the minister noted.

"But the positive news now is that admissions to the ICU are on a downward trend, as cases are coming down and more people have been getting vaccinated," he said at the press conference held by the multi-ministry task force on the pandemic.

The Jurong Fishery Port cluster, which also involved markets and hawker centres here, was responsible for more than 1,100 Covid-19 cases, many of whom were unvaccinated seniors.

Mr Ong noted that over the past 21 days, Singapore saw a total of 19 admissions to ICUs.

There were nine in the first week, seven in the second week, and three admissions in the past week.

"It is coming down steadily, and let's hope we can keep that to a minimum as more people get vaccinated," said Mr Ong.

As at Tuesday, 77 per cent of the population have completed their entire vaccine regimen, while 82 per cent have received at least one dose, he added.

By some time next month, 82 per cent of the population will be fully vaccinated.

Discounting those who are ineligible for vaccination, such as children under 12, Mr Ong said that 90 per cent of the population would be fully vaccinated.

He added that Singapore has made significant progress in the vaccination rate among seniors, with 89 per cent of those aged 60 and above on track to receive both doses by early September.
 

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from bloombergquint.com:

Singapore Committed to Global Connections, Health Minister Says

(Bloomberg) -- Singapore continues to welcome foreign investment and talent as its economy relies on its openness, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said Friday. Ong told members of the European Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, or EuroCham, that such a commitment has been called into question recently by the domestic debate over foreign labor and the challenges of the pandemic.

“Covid-19 has underlined a fundamental reality about Singapore: We are too small to survive on our own and we must tap global markets,” Ong said. “Openness is a fundamental value,” he said as he reiterated the government’s position that it welcomes foreign expertise to complement and expand local talent. Singapore’s low taxes, regulatory clarity and modern infrastructure have made it one of the most attractive places to do business in Asia, but growing angst about foreign workers during the pandemic has put the government under pressure to justify the need for overseas labor and reassure firms they’re still welcome.

Ong, who’s a key member of Singapore’s multi-ministry taskforce on Covid, delivered his remarks a day after the city-state announced more concrete plans for border re-opening, headlined by quarantine-free travel lanes for vaccinated passengers next month from Germany and Brunei. Restrictions were also loosened for visitors from Hong Kong and Macau, even as the long-planned travel bubble with Hong Kong was scrapped as the two diverge in their re-opening approaches. Singapore officials have warned that such loosening of border restrictions will only endure as long as partner destinations are seeing progress on vaccination rates, virus caseloads and management of outbreaks -- and provided the city-state can keep its domestic situation under control. Full vaccination in Singapore is ng a target of 80%, making it one of the most inoculated populations in the world, though officials have been cautious about what they see as an under-vaccinated elderly community.
 

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OYK was touched by the NDP show.

Ong Ye Kung

11 hrs·

Sharing a few photos from NDP yesterday evening. I was really touched by the show, and the people it featured and honored. Really proud of everyone who helped put this show together to inspire the nation!

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