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Novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) updates

COVID-19 Vaccines

Since 2020, the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Singapore has rolled out a COVID-19 vaccination programme to protect Singaporeans against the COVID-19 global pandemic.

There is a risk of serious, life-threatening disease and death from COVID-19 infections, especially in the elderly and other vulnerable groups. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 can help lower the risk of transmission and keep our healthcare system from being overwhelmed.

At Parkway East Hospital, we support the nation’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts by offering the Sinopharm vaccine at our Parkway Shenton clinics. The vaccine is priced at S$50 per dose, inclusive of GST.


Book your appointment for the Sinopharm vaccine

To make an appointment, click on ‘Start’ to proceed to parkwaydigihealth.com.

Start
 

MOH recommends individuals to take an mRNA vaccine whenever possible.

You may choose to receive the Sinopharm vaccine as part of your primary series vaccination or as a booster dose.

Based on MOH’s advisory, individuals who receive the Sinopharm vaccine under the Special Access Route (SAR) are advised to receive a third dose of vaccine to complete their primary series of vaccination against COVID-19.

The first 2 doses are administered with an interval of 3 – 4 weeks. The third dose should be taken 90 days after the second dose.

You will be considered fully vaccinated only after receiving all 3 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.

If you are unsure of how many doses you require, please book 1 booster dose first and consult our Parkway Shenton doctors for further advice.

For more details on the dosage guidelines for vaccinated individuals, please refer to the FAQs below.


Eligibility for the Sinopharm vaccine

To be eligible for the Sinopharm vaccine, you will need to fulfil the following requirements:

  • Aged 18 years and above
  • Do not have uncontrolled epilepsy or other progressive nervous system diseases, nor a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Do not have any known allergies (including anaphylaxis) to any components of the vaccine
  • No allergic reactions to vaccines previously

If you are expecting, please consult your obstetrician to assess your suitability for the vaccine.


The contents on this page were based on existing data and information shared by health authorities and IHH Healthcare Singapore experts as of November 2021. For the latest news and updates on COVID-19 and vaccines in Singapore, please visit www.gov.sg.

Frequently asked questions


How do the COVID-19 vaccines work?

After getting a vaccination, your immune system is trained to recognise the virus and produce antibodies which attack the virus and remain in our bodies. In doing so, the immune system will be able to recognise the virus in the event of an infection and fight off the virus before it causes any symptoms.


Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna are messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, while the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines use an inactivated vaccine technology.


  • mRNA vaccines contain material from the COVID-19 virus that instructs our cells to produce a protein that is unique to the virus. After our cells make copies of the protein, they destroy the genetic material from the vaccine. Our bodies recognise that the protein should not be present and work to produce antibodies to attack the virus.
  • Inactivated vaccine technology uses weakened or inactive viral particles to stimulate our body to produce antibodies that will help neutralise the COVID-19 virus.

Some coronavirus vaccines require multiple doses, with the doses given weeks or months apart. This allows us to produce longer-lasting antibodies and develop memory cells, so that our bodies and immune systems will be able to quickly fight the virus if we are exposed to it again.


Read more about COVID-19 vaccines and how vaccines work.



Listen to Dr Leong Hoe Nam, infectious disease specialist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, in this video as he explains more about the coronavirus vaccine.


References: gov.sg, World Health Organisation

 

What is the Sinopharm vaccine and where can I get it?

The Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine (BBIBP-CorV) is the first China-made vaccine to be approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in December 2020. It is an inactivated vaccine, a tried-and-tested form of vaccine technology used in other well-established vaccines, such as the flu and hepatitis B vaccines.

The Sinopharm vaccine provides an alternative option for people in Singapore who have previously been found unsuitable to receive the mRNA options. (e.g. If a person has taken a dose of Pfizer/Moderna and has had an allergic reaction.) This is in line with efforts to enhance vaccination coverage against COVID-19 in Singapore.

As of 22 July 2021, IHH Healthcare Singapore has obtained approval from the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore to import the vaccine under the Special Access Route (SAR) scheme.

We offer the Sinopharm vaccine at our Parkway Shenton clinics. The vaccine is priced at S$50 per dose, inclusive of GST.


To book your appointment for the Sinopharm vaccine, click on ‘Start’ to proceed to parkwaydigihealth.com.

Start

How many doses of the Sinopharm vaccine should I take?

MOH recommends individuals to take an mRNA vaccine whenever possible. You may choose to receive the Sinopharm vaccine as part of your primary series vaccination or as a booster dose.

Please note the following dosage guidelines* based on the status of your primary vaccination series.

This table is horizontally scrollable. Please scroll for more information.

History of COVID-19 Vaccination Taken (Primary Series) Recommended Number of Sinopharm Booster Dose Dosing Schedule
No previous COVID-19 vaccines 3 doses
Dose 1 - Day 0
Dose 2 - 21 days after dose 1
Dose 3 - 90 days after dose 2
1 dose of Sinopharm / Sinovac / Pfizer 2 doses Dose 1 - 21 days after previous dose taken
Dose 2 - 90 days after dose 1
1 dose of Moderna 2 doses Dose 1 - 28 days after previous dose taken
Dose 2 - 90 days after dose 1
2 doses of Sinopharm 1 dose 90 days after last dose taken
2 doses of mRNA vaccine
(Pfizer / Moderna)
1 dose 5 - 6 months after last dose taken
Any other vaccines (e.g. AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson, etc.) - regardless of number of doses 2 doses Dose 1 - 28 days after other vaccine
Dose 2 - 21 days after dose 1

For individuals who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection, the dosage recommendations* are as follows:

This table is horizontally scrollable. Please scroll for more information.

Individuals who recovered from COVID-19
Timeline / History of COVID-19 Vaccination, COVID-19 Infection and Recovery Recommended Number of Sinopharm Booster Dose Dosing Schedule
No previous COVID-19 vaccine → COVID-19 → Recovered 2 doses Dose 1 - 90 days from date of infection (Positive PCR result)
Dose 2 - 21 days after dose 1
1 dose of Sinopharm / Sinovac / Pfizer / Moderna → COVID-19 → Recovered 2 doses Dose 1 - 90 days from date of infection (Positive PCR result)
Dose 2 - 21 days after dose 1
2 doses of Sinopharm / Sinovac → COVID-19 → Recovered 1 dose 90 days from date of infection (Positive PCR result)
2 doses of Pfizer / Moderna → COVID-19 → Recovered Not required N.A.
1 dose of Sinopharm / Sinovac→ 1 dose of Pfizer / Moderna → COVID-19 → Recovered Not required N.A.
1 dose of Pfizer / Moderna → 1 dose of Sinopharm / Sinovac → COVID-19 → Recovered Not required N.A.
Any other vaccines (e.g. AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson, etc.) → COVID-19 → Recovered Not required N.A.

If you are unsure of how many doses you require for the Sinopharm vaccine, please book 1 booster dose first and consult our Parkway Shenton doctors for further advice.  

* These dosages are recommended guidelines and subject to changes at any time as more data becomes available.

Is the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine approved by WHO?

The Sinopharm vaccine was approved for use by the China’s National Medical Products Administration in December 2020 and gained the World Health Organisation’s approval for emergency use in May 2021.

It was developed by the Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products (BBIBP) and is the first China-made COVID-19 vaccine approved by the WHO for emergency use.

Here are 5 things you should know about the Sinopharm vaccine.

How effective is the Sinopharm vaccine?

The Sinopharm vaccine’s efficacy rate is currently at 79% in preventing symptomatic infection in the multi-country Phase 3 trial. This can be compared to 51% for the Sinovac vaccine and 95% for the Pfizer-BioNTech/Cominarty vaccine.

More studies are required to prove the BBIBP-CorV’s efficacy against COVID-19 variants.

Learn more about the Sinopharm vaccine and its efficacy.

What is the difference between the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines?

Both the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines are inactivated vaccines and require two doses.

The Sinopharm vaccine, however, has been proven to be 79% effective in preventing symptomatic symptomatic disease, compared to 51% for the Sinovac vaccine.

According to the World Health Organisation, the recommended interval between the first and second dose for the Sinopharm vaccine is 3 – 4 weeks, compared to 2 – 4 weeks for the Sinovac vaccine.

Why is getting a COVID-19 vaccine important?

The Singapore government has advised that COVID-19 vaccination, together with safe distancing measures, contact tracing and proactive testing, will help to protect us and our loved ones against COVID-19. Vaccination will not only reduce the number of people susceptible to the coronavirus, but also reduce the chances of transmission in the community.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe?

The Ministry of Health in Singapore has stated that only vaccines that comply with the World Health Organisation’s guidelines and adhere to strict standards of safety, quality and efficacy have been identified and will be used in Singapore.


Learn more about how the vaccinations are accessed and monitored on gov.sg.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine effective? Why are vaccinated individuals still contracting COVID-19?

Based on current data, the mRNA vaccines are found to be effective. Pfizer BioNTech’s vaccine has a reported 95% effectiveness while Moderna’s has charted a 94% efficacy.

The Sinovac vaccine efficacy, which uses inactivated vaccine technology, has been found to be at 50.4%.

Dr Leong Hoe Nam, infectious disease specialist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, advises: “No vaccine is 100% effective, but they do help to reduce the severity of the illness – from a severe one to a moderate or mild one, or one with no symptoms at all. In this way, it can convert a deadly viral infection into a harmless common cold.”

Learn more about the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

What are the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?

According to Dr Adrian Chan, respiratory physician at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are similar to those of the influenza vaccine.


These can range from mild symptoms such as pain at the injection site, fatigue and tiredness, muscle aches and chills, to more severe (but less common) symptoms such as fever and vomiting. There have been case reports of severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis), but based on current data so far, the overall incidence of such reactions is low.


Who should take the COVID-19 vaccine?

While COVID-19 vaccination in Singapore is voluntary, the government is encouraging all individuals who are medically eligible to be vaccinated when it is available. When more people in a community are vaccinated, the harder it is for a disease to spread.

Are vaccines effective against new strains of the virus?

Yes, but the efficacy is not the same.

Dr Leong stresses on the importance of getting vaccinated: “If you didn’t get the vaccine [and become infected with COVID-19 virus] you may end up more severely ill, and more likely to die.”

Learn more on the virulence of the new COVID-19 variants and the effectiveness of vaccines.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine similar to that of a flu vaccine?

Both vaccines target different viruses. Therefore, it is recommended that while we protect ourselves against COVID-19, it is also prudent to protect ourselves against influenza by vaccinating ourselves with the influenza vaccine.

Can I stop wearing masks after vaccination?

COVID-19 vaccines are not 100% effective. Time is also needed for more people to receive the vaccination, and some individuals may be unable to take the coronavirus vaccines or do not wish to do so. For these reasons, it is recommended to continue current safety practices such as regular hand washing and sanitisation, wearing your masks, and keeping to social distancing measures.