China’s COVID-19 vaccine is proving popular among some Singaporeans who have been forming long queues – even sleeping rough – to get hold of their first dose in the past week.
Scenes of people dozing off on cardboards and queuing up outside some of the 24 private clinics licensed to administer the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine have surfaced on social media, including those outside places such as the 1 Medical Teck Ghee in Ang Mo Kio, Braddell Medical Clinic, and Little Cross Family Clinic in Tampines.
“My First Dose For Sinovac Vaccine Done,” user Jessie Smilesforlife wrote last week, adding that she opted for Sinovac after failing to get an appointment for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
A video posted Thursday showed individuals lining up outside the clinic located on the ground floor of a housing block at Tampines Street 91. In it, at least 10 people were filmed lying down on flattened boxes. The line continued to snake to the back of the building of the Little Cross Family Clinic that reportedly attended to hundreds of people over four days.
Queues at 1 Medical Teck Ghee at Ang Mo Kio and Braddell Medical Clinic seemed better managed.
Sinovac, said to be 51% effective against COVID-19, was rolled out in Singapore on June 18. COVID-19 mRNA vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, said to have an efficacy rate of 95% and 94.1%, respectively, are being given to Singaporeans as part of the government’s main COVID-19 vaccination program.
Those interested in getting the Sinovac vaccine would need to pay S$10 (US$7) to S$25 (US$18) administration fee for each dose.
Around half of Singaporeans have received their first dose of the vaccination.
Singapore continues to record new infections and outbreaks, with the latest clusters centering around Bukit Merah and Changi General Hospital. A total of 62,544 infections and 36 deaths have been reported since the pandemic began.
Other licensed providers of the Sinovac vaccine as follows:
- Chinatown Wellness Clinic
- Chua Medical Clinic And Surgery
- Dedicare Medical Practice & Surgery at Hougang
- Doctors for Life Medical, Doctors Koo
- Loh & Associates, EHA Clinic at Jurong
- Elisa Koh Clinic & Surgery For Women
- HeartlandHealth at Bedok South and Bukit Batok
- iCare Medical and Wellness Clinic
- Icon Cancer Centre Farrer Park
- Integrated Wellness Clinic
- Mediview Clinic and Surgery
- Pinnacle Family Clinic at Pasir Ris and Serangoon North
- Pulse Clinic
- Rophi Clinic
- Starmed Specialist Centre
- Thomson Wellth Clinic
- Wee HealthFirst Medical Clinic
- Yim Medical Centre at Admiralty station
Other stories you should check out:
COVID-19: Singaporeans allowed to dine in at eateries again next week – in pairs
Health Ministry reviewing COVID-19 protocols for people with special needs after online complaints
NCID director debunks ‘misleading’ anti-vaxxing messages from Singapore doctors
COVID-19: Drug stores to sell test kits as Singapore learns to live with the virus
Everything we know so far about Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination plan
Reader Interactions