Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced in a TikTok video that the next Covid-19 infection “is arriving,” hence the need to protect oneself and loved ones through vaccination and booster shots.
“In the next one or two months, we expect a new Omicron wave, but not to worry, with vaccination, we can all be safe,” said Mr Ong in the video uploaded on Monday (June 20).
He explained that Covid-19 vaccines were initially developed for the “wild-type” virus.
Since then, the virus has evolved or mutated into different strains, such as the Delta and Omicron variants.
Therefore, “two doses is not enough” for protection against the virus, said Mr Ong.
He also noted that it makes a difference how many shots an individual has received.
For seniors 60 years old and above who have not taken the first two shots, the chance of dying or ending up in the intensive care unit is four in 100. This decreases to one in 100 if the first two shots have been received and three in 1,000 if all three shots are taken.
Mr Ong highlighted that there were still 80,000 senior citizens who had not taken the booster shots, urging them to get inoculated.
“So, don’t delay anymore; go get your booster shots,” he added.
Those needing their Covid-19 shots can do so at any vaccination centre, said Mr Ong.
The Ministry of Health will also be deploying its mobile vaccination teams soon to make the process more accessible. /TISG
@ongyekung The next infection wave is arriving. Get boosted to protect yourselves and your loved ones.