“The two-month circuit breaker cost us approximately A$11 billion in terms of lost GDP. “We have spent almost another A$60 billion over two financial years to alleviate hardship for businesses and workers, not to mention all the heartache and hardship that families have had to go through,” he said.
“Without vaccines, we would certainly have had to resort to further circuit breakers during the Delta and Omicron waves at the end of 2021 and then throughout 2022. But we didn’t have to do that because the vaccines – we got them early and they protected us.
“More importantly, our approach has prevented many deaths from Covid-19 infection and protected Singaporeans.”
Singapore’s Covid review highlight masks a twist by confusing reopening measures
Singapore’s Covid review highlight masks a twist by confusing reopening measures
Speaking in the course of the debate on the white paper on Singapore’s response to Covid-19, the health minister said Singapore had “deliberately over-ordered” to alleviate uncertainty that chosen vaccine candidates wouldn’t work and the opportunity of disruption to produce chains.
And that meant having a spare supply of vaccines that may expire.
The white paper, which relied on a review by former civil service chief Peter Ho, said Singapore’s Covid-19 vaccine strategy had paid off.
The government concluded “very early” that vaccines were essentially the most promising exit strategy, in line with a white paper published earlier this month.
This meant Singapore needed to “place bets on potential game changers at significant cost” before the trials were accomplished, he added.
The health ministry said in October last 12 months that about 10 percent of Singapore’s Covid-19 vaccine supplies had expired. Ong said that as a result of non-disclosure agreements with vaccine suppliers, further details weren’t released on the time.
Presenting the updated data on Tuesday, Ong explained: “I would prefer the information to be more transparent and quick. “We have since spoken to vaccine providers and they have agreed that we can disclose the total value of expired vaccines as long as we do not provide further quantitative breakdowns that would allow people… to estimate the cost of each vaccine dose.”
Singapore tried to donate spare vaccines, but there were no takers due to an oversupply of vaccines around the world.
“Manufacturers have increased their production capacity and demand is falling as the pandemic stabilizes,” Ong said.
He added that while the speed of expired vaccines is prone to increase to shut to 25 percent as additional vaccines expire, it should then “stabilize.”
Long Covid casts an extended shadow over Asia as patients cry out for a cure
Long Covid casts an extended shadow over Asia as patients cry out for a cure
Ong stressed that Singapore must remain prepared should a variant of concern emerge. Looking forward, the vaccine strategy will cover many various points.
First, the health ministry will maintain and “periodically refresh” adequate stocks of Covid-19 vaccines, he said. This will ensure continued protection for older and vulnerable people when needed, and can facilitate a rapid response within the event of a bigger or more severe wave of the pandemic.
In addition, Singapore will maintain a “network” of vaccination centers – primary health clinics, polyclinics and a “baseline” of 5 to 10 common testing and vaccination centers, Ong said. This will enable booster doses to be given to people aged 50 and over, in addition to to vulnerable people, if essential inside three weeks.
Singapore can be negotiating deals to offer early access to vaccines against other pathogens with pandemic potential, Ong added. It may also put money into vaccine research and development.
He revealed that there are plans to determine six vaccine production factories in Singapore. Singapore may also proceed to contribute to strengthening global health security by supporting fair and equitable access to vaccines.
