Protecting Its Citizens From The Omicron Variant Of The Corona Virus, Singapore Plans To Require Booster Doses

Singapore illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Nicolas Lannuzel)

JAKARTA - Singapore is considering requiring its residents to receive a booster dose of injection, to qualify as fully vaccinated against COVID-19, its health minister said on Tuesday, amid efforts to protect its population from the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The city-state of 5.5 million people currently only allows those who count as fully vaccinated, or recipients of two shots, to enter malls or eat at restaurants or hawker stands.

So far, 87 per cent of Singaporeans have received at least two injections and 31 per cent have received a booster.

"This is a clear signal that we all need to use our boosters, because with reduced protection, full vaccination status cannot last forever," Health Minister Ong Ye Kung explained during a press conference, announcing the booster plans.

Singapore reported 339 cases of the new coronavirus on Monday, the fewest since early September. So far there have been 16 cases of the Omicron variant, all but two of which were imported.

In addition, the Health Ministry said it would allow up to 50 percent of workers, currently working from home, to return to their offices from January 1.

However, Singapore will ban unvaccinated employees from entering the workplace, unless they are tested each time.

To note, the Omicron variant is reported in more than 60 countries, posing a "very high" global risk, with some evidence that it evades vaccine protection, but clinical data on its severity are limited, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).