Siblings of children with existing appointments can receive COVID-19 vaccination together without prior booking

SINGAPORE: Siblings of a child with an existing appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccination will be able to receive the shot at the same time without the need to make a booking, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Thursday (Nov 3).

The new arrangement is available from Mondays to Thursdays, beginning on Nov 7, Mr Ong said in a post on Facebook. This will "make it more convenient for families with more than one child," he added.

Parents should bring their children's identification documents for registration and arrive at the vaccination centre by 5.30pm on the given days, Mr Ong said.

A similar "sibling walk-in" arrangement for children aged 5 to 11 was put in place in January 2022. Thursday's announcement extends this to cover children aged 6 months to 4 years.

Singapore began offering COVID-19 vaccinations for children in the lower age group on Oct 25.

Mr Ong also said that "there has been good take-up" in the primary vaccination program for young children.

14,000 children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years have either pre-registered or received the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine, while 20,000 children between 5 and 11 years have either pre-registered or received the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty booster, he said.