• MOH said residents here between 45 and 59 will receive the links to book their vaccination slots at varying times
• It said the links to book a vaccination slot will be done at on “first-come-first-served basis, based on the time of registration”
• More vaccination slots will be made available as soon as more vaccine supplies arrive

SINGAPORE — Singapore residents aged 45 to 59 who registered for the Covid-19 vaccine at the end of last month can expect to get links to book appointments in two weeks. Those who did so early this month should get them by the end of April, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Tuesday (April 13).

As for those who registered recently, the links should arrive by early May.

The ministry was responding to a series of letters submitted by TODAY’s readers about the difficulties they had experienced in trying to secure a booking.

MOH stated in its reply that as of Monday, about 200,000 people aged 45 to 59 remain on its holding list.

Eligible applicants within this age group should receive the booking links by mid-May and they can expect to book a slot by early June.

It also clarified that Singapore citizens and permanent residents who need to travel overseas urgently on compassionate grounds, or for “employment or study purposes where working or studying remotely is not an option” can submit an appeal for an earlier vaccination slot.

However, such requests to the ministry will be considered only on a case-by-case basis and subject to the availability of vaccines.

On March 24, the Government announced that it was extending the national voluntary Covid-19 vaccination programme to residents aged 45 to 59.

Several readers in this age group wrote in thereafter to relate their experience, with some saying that they did not receive any messages from MOH to schedule an appointment despite registering the morning after the announcement was made.

Others had questioned why they were kept waiting when their friends who had registered after them were able to get an appointment slot quickly.

Explaining how the registration process works, Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, group director of MOH’s crisis strategy and operations group, said that eligible individuals who register for the vaccine will receive an SMS (short message service) acknowledgement.

In the event that they do not, he said that they should register again.

Mr Dinesh added that a separate SMS with a personalised booking link will then be sent to these individuals on a “first-come-first-served basis, based on the time of registration” to make their vaccination appointments.

However, as to when an individual can expect to receive the booking link will depend on when the registration was completed.

While the current supplies of vaccines remain limited by the ability of manufacturers to deliver, given the high level of global demand, Mr Dinesh gave an assurance that more slots for vaccination will be made available progressively as more supply arrives.

He said that the ministry will send a booking link to registrants as soon as these slots become available.

“We will continue to ensure that we provide a smooth and convenient Covid-19 vaccination experience as we work towards vaccinating all medically eligible Singapore residents by the end of this year.”

LEFT WAITING

Despite MOH's clarifications, some Singaporeans told TODAY on Tuesday that their experiences were not in line with the ministry’s explanations.

Mr Chaudhari Sanjay, 53, said that he still has not received a booking link despite registering for the vaccine as early as March 24, the day of the announcement.

He said that he is puzzled by the many permanent residents whom he knows, who are younger than him and have already received their first vaccination shot despite registering later than he did.

To add to his frustration, he said that he needed to travel to South Asia urgently for work as he is the chief executive officer of a communications company there.

As well as registering on March 24, Mr Chaudhari, a Singapore citizen, said that he had earlier submitted an appeal to MOH sometime before March 17, along with the necessary supporting documents, given his circumstances.

He said he was told on March 27 that the ministry would assist and register him.

“I haven’t received any link for the appointment yet.” 

Mr Toh Hai Hoe, who also registered for the vaccination on March 24, said that he received his booking link only on Monday this week.

The 45-year-old regional account manager had encountered instances of peers registering on the same day, but were able to “get an immediate response”.

“I was puzzled at the difference in speed at which people received the SMS. It felt quite random to me,” Mr Toh said.

It would have been helpful if MOH had published its clarification earlier to explain how the registration process works to prevent any speculation, he added.