SINGAPORE — To further drive up Covid-19 vaccination rates among seniors who have not received their shots, those aged 17 and older who refer elderly persons for vaccination will receive electronic cash vouchers under a new national programme.

Under the “let’s get our seniors vaccinated” programme, which started on Friday (Aug 13), those who successfully refer a senior aged 60 and older to get vaccinated will receive S$30 of Health Promotion Board (HPB) vouchers. 

These will be credited to their accounts on HPB’s Healthy 365 mobile application.

The programme runs until Nov 30. 

The vouchers will be awarded only after the authorities verify that the senior has received both doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna vaccines, HPB said on the HealthHub website. 

This means that seniors being referred for vaccination must have received at least the first dose of the vaccine by Nov 30 for their referrers to qualify for the programme.

To be eligible, the seniors must be 60 and older, and must not have already received any dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

To qualify as a referrer, individuals must be Singaporeans, permanent residents or Employment Pass or work-permit holders aged 17 and older at the time of enrolment. 

They must sign up online and receive confirmation of their registration via SMS (short message service) before the senior receives his or her first dose.  

They cannot be existing volunteers under HPB’s Health Ambassador Programme, and need not be fully vaccinated themselves to take part.

Participants may refer up to 10 seniors for the programme. Each unvaccinated senior can be registered only to one applicant.

To complete the programme and receive the vouchers, those who refer the seniors must also accompany them to their first appointment at vaccination centres and complete the registration process in person.

Those who complete the referral process will receive the vouchers two weeks after the senior has received both doses of the vaccine. 

The vouchers will be credited to the “rewards” section of their Healthy 365 app and are valid for 90 days.

HPB’s electronic vouchers can be used at a range of businesses, including eateries, lifestyle retailers and supermarkets. 

Multiple vouchers may be used in a single transaction at participating merchants.

As of Thursday, 84 per cent of seniors aged 60 and older had completed their full vaccination regimen and 89 per cent had received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Even so, the Ministry of Health said that more than 115,000 seniors remain unvaccinated.

HPB said that it was important for seniors to get vaccinated because they are most vulnerable to Covid-19 and are at higher risk of becoming seriously ill if infected. 

“Some seniors are hesitant about vaccination because they may not be familiar with the importance and benefits of vaccination or have concerns about receiving vaccination,” it said.

“Let’s encourage our seniors to be vaccinated and provide the support they need.”