Updated Novavax COVID-19 vaccine available free under Singapore's national vaccination programme
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SINGAPORE: The updated Novavax COVID-19 jab is now available under Singapore's national vaccination programme, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (May 28).
Eligible individuals can receive the vaccination for free at any participating general practitioner clinics.
The Novavax/Nuvaxovid XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine was recommended by the Expert Committee on Immunisation for use in Singapore following approval by the Health Sciences Authority.
MOH said in November last year that Novavax was in the process of filing for regulatory approval for its updated COVID-19 vaccine.
It is an option for those aged 12 years and above, under prevailing COVID-19 vaccine recommendations.
“Persons who are unable to receive the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are recommended to receive the Novavax/Nuvaxovid XBB.1.5 vaccine (a protein subunit vaccine), except those who were diagnosed with myocarditis/pericarditis after a previous dose of an mRNA vaccine,” said MOH.
Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's updated COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA vaccines.
The previous formulation of the Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine, which was based on the original COVID-19 strain, had been discontinued from the national vaccination programme since Jan 1 this year.
This was when the remaining local stock of the vaccine expired and was no longer supplied by the manufacturer, said the Health Ministry.
Singapore has seen a spike in COVID-19 infections in recent weeks, with two-thirds of the cases attributed to the new KP.1 and KP.2 strains, which are part of the “FLiRT” variant.
The estimated number of COVID-19 infections in the week of May 5 to 11 rose to 25,900 – a 90 per cent increase compared with the 13,700 cases in the week before that.
Doctors attributed the spike in infections to waning COVID-19 immunity, with MOH saying that about 80 per cent of the local population have completed their initial or additional vaccination dose but have not received a shot within the last year.
MOH on Tuesday advised the public to book their COVID-19 vaccination appointments via the Health Appointment System. They can locate their nearest participating GP clinic online.
“We urge individuals to keep up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination. Those who are at greatest risk of severe disease, including individuals aged 60 years and above, medically vulnerable individuals and residents of aged care facilities, are recommended to receive an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for 2024, around one year (and not earlier than five months) after the last dose received,” said MOH.
The Health Ministry added that all vaccinated individuals aged six months and above are encouraged to receive an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for 2024 as well.
