MOH rolling out updated COVID-19 vaccines, closing joint testing and vaccination centres

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) will be rolling out updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna and closing Singapore’s joint testing and vaccination centres (JTVCs).
The two vaccines are the updated JN.1 PfizerBioNTech/Comirnaty and JN.1 Moderna/Spikevax jabs. 
Both have been approved by the Health Sciences Authority, said MOH in a press release on Friday (Oct 25).
Updated vaccines were also approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in August. 
The decision to administer the updated vaccines was based on the 2024-2025 recommendations of the Expert Committee for Immunisation (ECI), said MOH. 
“The updated COVID-19 vaccines provide a stronger immune response against current and emerging strains compared to previous versions of the vaccines, and therefore confer better protection against COVID-19,” the ministry said.
“The safety profiles of the updated vaccines are comparable to that of previous versions.” 
All vaccination locations offering the PfizerBioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna/Spikevax vaccines will begin administering the updated JN.1 versions of the jabs from Oct 28.
For Singapore’s healthy general population, the severity of COVID-19 infections is low since most people in the country have “either taken the vaccine and/or been infected with COVID-19 and recovered safely”, said MOH. 
However, the ECI has recommended that individuals with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 receive both the initial, if they are unvaccinated, and additional doses of the vaccination. 
These include individuals aged 60 and above, medically vulnerable individuals aged six months and above as well as residents of aged care facilities. 
“Healthcare workers and persons living or working with medically vulnerable individuals are encouraged to consider receiving the vaccine,” said the Health Ministry. 
“Other individuals aged six months and above who wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine can continue to do so.”
Unvaccinated individuals who are six months to four years old should receive two doses, eight weeks apart. If they are five and older, only one dose is recommended since most of Singapore’s population has some level of protection from past COVID-19 infections. 
Individuals who are six months old and above who are receiving an additional dose should receive it around one year or at least five months from their last vaccine dose.
COVID-19 vaccination is free for all eligible individuals under the National Vaccination Programme.
MOH also announced on Friday that Singapore’s five remaining JTVCs will be ceasing operations.
The ministry pointed out that almost 500 general practitioner (GP) clinics and 10 polyclinics are currently providing COVID-19 vaccinations. More GP clinics will also be onboarded to provide COVID-19 vaccines, it added.
As a result, the five JTVCs – located in Bukit Merah, Jurong East, Kaki Bukit, Sengkang and Woodlands – will be closed from Dec 1.
“The JTVCs have served us well in offering mass testing and vaccination services during the pandemic,” said MOH. 
Those who wish to get vaccinated at these centres should visit them by Nov 30 or book an appointment online. 
Mobile vaccination teams offering COVID-19 vaccines will continue to be deployed across Singapore, the ministry added.