Singapore Is The First Asian Country To Receive Pfizer's COVID-19 Vaccine

Pfizer vaccine photo illustration (Source: Antara)

JAKARTA - Singapore is the first Asian country to receive a vaccine made by Pfizer / BioNtech. Singapore received the vaccine on the evening of Monday, December 21.

The shipments were carried on flight SQ7979 via Singapore Airlines (SIA) cargo 747-400. The flight departed on Sunday, December 20 from Brussels.

Singaporean Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong announced on December 14 that Singapore authorities had approved the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine. At that time he also said the first shipment would arrive in late December.

Vaccine deliveries come a week before Singapore enters Phase 3 of reopening on 28 December. Quoting Channel News Asia, Tuesday, December 22, PM Lee said he was pleased to see the successful delivery of the first vaccine.

He described the vaccine delivery as "the welcome gift we all look forward to." In a post on Facebook, PM Lee thanked the agents and workers who made the vaccine delivery successful.

He also thanked the multi-ministerial task force dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak in Singapore. PM Lee said he would announce the details of the vaccine launch "in due time."

"It has been a long and tough year. I hope this news will comfort Singaporeans in this festive season, and cause for optimism in 2021," he said.

Singapore is one of the first few countries to approve and receive a vaccine for COVID-19. Other countries that have approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are the UK, United States (US), Canada, Switzerland, Bahrain and Qatar. UK, US and Canada have already vaccinated.

Vaccinations in Singapore will be voluntary and priority will be given to those most at risk, such as front line and health care workers, as well as the elderly and vulnerable. After that the Committee of Experts on Vaccination for COVID-19 proposed to gradually vaccinate all Singaporeans and cover all those who want vaccinations by the end of 2021.

Vaccinations will be provided free of charge to all Singaporeans as well as long-term residents currently in Singapore. The Singapore PM said he and his cabinet colleagues would be vaccinated early to show everyone they believe the vaccine is safe.

For the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, two doses are required to be given at an interval of 21 days. Singapore has also signed advance purchase agreements for other promising vaccine candidates, including those developed by Moderna and Sinovac.

The Pfizer vaccine has an efficacy rate of 95 percent. The Pfizer vaccine uses messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology, which needs to be stored at temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius, which presents some logistical challenges.

This new technology uses genetic material in the form of mRNA to teach human cells to make "spike proteins" that trigger an immune response. In contrast, traditional vaccines introduce weak or inactive viruses into our bodies.

In addition, the Pfizer vaccine is recommended not to be injected into pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems and those under 16 years of age. This is because the safety and efficacy data for this group are not yet available.

The Health Sciences Authority of Singapore (HSA) also said that people with a history of anaphylaxis or had severe allergic reactions did not receive the Pfizer vaccine. This is in line with the advice issued in the UK and US. The vaccine's safety profile is "generally consistent" with other registered vaccines, according to the HSA. Some people may experience side effects such as pain, swelling at the injection site, fatigue, headaches and muscle aches after vaccination.