No need for 2nd COVID booster in Singapore just yet: MOH top official

SINGAPORE — Singapore residents will not need to take a second COVID-19 booster shot – or a fourth vaccine dose – just yet, said a senior Ministry of Health (MOH) official on Wednesday (16 February).

MOH's Director of Medical Services Kenneth Mak stressed that authorities are continuing to monitor the evidence for protection from vaccines, for both primary doses as well as boosters.

"But at this point in time, we have looked at the evidence, we don't think that (a second booster) is necessary just yet," he added in response to media queries at a virtual press conference chaired by the multi-ministry taskforce.

A new study released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week showed that the efficacy of third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines wanes substantially by the fourth month.

Authorities are still in the midst of encouraging more people to complete their booster jabs, said Associate Professor Mak, and "a little bit more time" will be needed before the taskforce considers whether to offer another booster to the public.

As of Monday, 90 per cent of Singapore's total population have completed their full COVID-19 vaccine regimen while 64 per cent have received their booster shots.

With the possibility of a new COVID-19 variant emerging, there may be a need to assess the protection accorded by current vaccination processes here, he added.

"But it's premature to posit that we do need these boosters and when we require them. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and advise accordingly," Prof Mak reiterated.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung noted that the debate on whether more COVID-19 boosters are needed is broadly divided into two schools of thought among scientists.

One is focused on protection through ancestral immunisation – to protect against severe illness across the variants – and the other on protection against infection from specific strains, Ong said. "Between these two schools of thought, I think it's premature to determine which one will prevail...a lot depends on the nature of future variants."

He cited the example of the more transmissible yet less severe Omicron compared with the Delta strain.

"These are still questions yet to have answers. So as of now, we do not have active plans to administer a second booster," Ong said. Last month, the health minister told Parliament that Singaporeans may need to take a yearly COVID-19 booster shot.

Countries that have administered or are in the process of administering an additional booster shot or fourth vaccine dose include Cambodia, Chile, Israel, and South Korea.

The South Korean authorities on Monday confirmed that they will begin giving out such doses this month, with priority given to high-risk groups such as residents at nursing homes and care facilities.

Denmark, on the other hand, last week said it is considering “winding down” its COVID-19 vaccination programme soon and see no reason now to administer a fourth shot. The announcement came a month after the country announced that it would offer them to its most vulnerable citizens.

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