Frequently Asked Questions
Registration and Appointments
The vaccine is free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore, which includes Singapore Permanent Residents, and Employment Pass holders.
Singapore Citizens, Permanent Residents, and Long-Term Pass Holders aged 5 and above are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccines under the National Vaccination Programme.
People who are eligible for their booster dose will be invited to be vaccinated, from about five months after their second dose.
All individuals who are eligible for COVID-19 vaccination may walk in for their primary vaccination series and booster doses, without prior appointment, every day of the week, before 7pm:
• Individuals aged 12 to 17 may now walk in to any VC offering the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine to receive their primary vaccination series and booster dose. These individuals will be required to bring a duly completed and signed hard or electronic copy of the parental consent form, which can be downloaded here .
• Individuals aged 18 and above may walk into any VC offering mRNA vaccines to receive their primary vaccination series and booster dose.
If you are 60 years old and above, and have completed the last dose of your primary series vaccination, you may also walk in to any of the participating Public Health Preparedness Clinics (PHPCs) or Polyclinics, to receive your booster dose without an appointment. If you would like to go to a PHPC, you are advised to call the respective clinics for enquiries on the vaccination cut-off time for your preferred date, as operating hours may vary.
Alternatively, eligible individuals aged 18 and above will receive an SMS with a personalised link to book an appointment. Parents/guardians of individuals aged 12-17 will also receive the SMS
notification, to provide consent and book their child/ward’s booster vaccination appointment.
Under the National Vaccination Programme, children/wards below 18 must have the consent of their parents/guardians to receive their vaccination.
All eligible individuals can walk into any vaccination centre (VC) Individuals aged 12 to 17 may walk into any VC or Joint Testing Vaccination Centre (JTVC)
for their primary vaccination series and booster doses without an appointment. This means:
• Children aged 5 to 11 may walk in with their parents/guardians to any paediatric VC
• Individuals aged 12 to 17 may walk in to any VC or JTVC offering the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty
All children below the age of 18 must bring a duly completed and signed hard or electronic copy of the parental consent form, which can be downloaded here.
Individuals aged 18 and above may walk in to any VC or JTVC.
Seniors aged 60 years and above may also walk into any of the Polyclinics or participating Public Health Preparedness Clinics to receive their vaccination, without an appointment.
We strongly recommend you receive the mRNA vaccines or Novavax/Nuvaxovid to complete their primary vaccination series and booster doses, in view of the lower efficacy of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine.
For primary vaccination series:
If you are medically ineligible for the mRNA vaccine and were previously invited to receive the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine under a special public health programme, follow the instructions in your SMS invitation to continue with the regime.
For booster:
If you are medically ineligible for the mRNA vaccine and Novavax/Nuvaxovid, you may consider receiving the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine as a booster. The Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine is otherwise not recommended as a booster vaccine.
Individuals may walk in to JTVC Bishan to receive their Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine.
Eligible individuals who wish to complete their primary series or booster vaccination with Novavax/Nuvaxovid can also book an appointment using the link from their existing SMS invite, to receive their vaccination at JTVC Bishan or any of the selected polyclinics and PHPCs.
Please cal lthe MOH COVID-19 vaccination hotline at 6995 9199 for assistance.
If you have changed your mobile number or email address, please call MOH COVID-19 vaccination hotline at 6995 9199 for assistance.
You may reschedule your appointments using the same booking link in the original SMS.
For enquiries, please call the MOH COVID-19 vaccination hotline at 6995 9199.
The Covid-19 vaccination is free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore and no one should ask you for a payment to register for appointments. The link that is provided in the SMS should go to "vaccine.gov.sg". Only government officials can register for a gov.sg domain. Do not trust any other URLs that are not from a .gov.sg domain.
When in doubt, you should check with the agency who sent you the message to confirm the authenticity before responding to the message.
Children who turn 5 years old in 2022 must have crossed their birthday before they are eligible to book a vaccination appointment.
You may accompany him/her and walk in without an appointment to any paediatric Pfizer-
BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccination centre to receive his/her vaccination dose, any day of the week
before 7pm. Please bring along their Student Identification, or if not available, other forms of
identification (e.g. Birth Certificate/Passport/SingPass) for verification purposes.
Alternatively, If your child/ward is under the MOE vaccination exercise, you will receive an SMS to
book an appointment on his/her behalf. If your child/ward is not under the MOE vaccination
exercise, or has recovered from a COVID-19 infection more than 3 months ago and has yet to
complete the COVID-19 vaccination, you may register him/her here.
Under the National Vaccination Programme, if your child/ward is below the age of 18, your consent is required for him/her to get vaccinated. If your child/ward is 12 years old, you will need to accompany him/her during the vaccination.
He/she may walk in without an appointment to any Vaccination Centre or Joint Testing Vaccination Centre offering the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine for his/her vaccination dose. All children aged 12 to 17 will also be required to bring a duly completed and signed hard or electronic copy of the parental consent form, which can be downloaded here.
Children aged 12 and under will require the accompaniment of their parent/guardian. Parents/guardians will not be able to take their booster shot during their child/ward’s vaccination.
Vaccination Day
The dosing regimen for the primary series vaccination is 21 days apart for the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, and 28 days apart for the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine. Two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna/Spikevax COVID-19 vaccines are required to be fully vaccinated. A booster dose* is recommended to be taken from five months after you have been vaccinated with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna/Spikevax vaccines.
For the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine*, the second dose should be taken 28 days after the first dose, while the third dose should be taken 90 days after the second dose. Three doses of the Sinovac- CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine are required to be considered fully vaccinated. Persons who had received three doses of COVID-19 vaccines as part of a primary vaccination series incorporating the Sinovac-Coronavac vaccine are recommended to receive a booster dose of either the Pfizer BioNTech/Comirnaty or Moderna mRNA vaccines. Such persons who received an mRNA vaccine as
their third dose should do so around 5 months thereafter. However, those who received the
Sinovac-CoronaVac or Sinopharm vaccine as their third vaccine dose should do so at 3 months
thereafter, due to lower antibody levels generated by the third vaccine dose.
*Sinovac-CoronaVac should not be used as a booster vaccination. The exception is for persons who have been recommended to receive a booster but are unable to receive an mRNA vaccine due to medical reasons, such as an allergy to the mRNA vaccine.
• Bring your ID (NRIC/FIN/Student Pass) for both appointments
• Please turn up on time
• Please wear short sleeved attire, or sleeves loose enough to be rolled up
• If you are unwell or had fever in the past 24 hours, stay home and postpone your appointments
Please do not go for the appointment. You should only take the vaccination when you are well.
If you have not taken your 1st dose, cancel and rebook both appointments using the same booking link issued by SMS. If you have taken your 1st dose and wish to reschedule your 2nd dose, please call the MOH COVID-19 vaccination hotline at 6995 9199.
The vaccine will be injected into your upper arm. To make this easier, you are advised to wear short sleeves, or sleeves loose enough to be rolled up.
Parents/guardians are reminded to ensure that their child/ward brings along documentary proof of their consent to the vaccination site for verification. The letter of consent required can be found here. A completed electronic copy of the consent form will be accepted as well.
For the 5 to 11 years old vaccination exercise, parental/legal guardian presence is required. Only one parent/guardian is allowed to accompany their child/ward to the vaccination centre if they are below 13 years old. This is to avoid congestion and ensure compliance to Safe Management Measures at the vaccination centres.
Health and Safety
For more information, visit MOH's website.
The vaccine has been assessed to be safe for use. However, you may experience common side effects, similar to other vaccines. Most side effects are mild or moderate, and usually get better within a few days. The table below lists some common side effects that have been reported with this vaccine, and how to manage them.
Side Effects | How to Manage |
---|---|
Pain, redness, swelling at the injection site | Paracetamol 1 to 2 tablets every 6 hours as needed |
Fever, chills | |
Headache, muscle pain, joint pain | |
Tiredness | Rest |
Lymph node swelling at neck or arms | Usually gets better by itself in a week or so |
See a doctor if:
- The side effects persist or get worse.
- The fever persists for more than 48 hours (2 days).
- Respiratory symptoms such as cough, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath or loss of sense of taste and smell develops.
- Heart or chest symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath or abnormal heart beats develops.
In very rare cases, this vaccine can cause a severe allergic reaction. Signs of a severe allergic reaction include: difficulty breathing, swelling of your face, throat, eyes or lips, a fast heartbeat, dizziness and weakness, a bad rash all over your body. If you experience a severe allergic reaction, seek medical attention immediately. Call 995 or go to the nearest A&E immediately.
If you experience a severe allergic reaction, seek medical attention immediately. Call 995 or go to the nearest A&E immediately.
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) has permitted COVID-19 vaccines for Muslim use. Please refer to MUIS’ religious position on the COVID-19 vaccine for more information.
Persons who had recovered from COVID-19 and had received two doses of mRNA or Nuvaxovid vaccines, or three doses of Sinovac-CoronaVac before their infection are considered to have completed their primary series. Persons who have not completed their primary vaccination series before recovering from a COVID-19 infection, are recommended to complete their primary series.
If you are due for your vaccination based on the schedules recommended in the National Vaccination Programme (e.g. to receive a booster dose about 5 months after two doses of mRNA or Nuvaxovid vaccines), you may receive your next vaccine dose 28 days after infection.
You are recommended to receive three doses of the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine as your primary vaccination series. It is recommended that the third dose be administered three months
after the second dose.
Persons aged who are medically ineligible to complete the primary vaccination series with the mRNA vaccines or Nuvaxovid vaccine are recommended to receive the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine. These persons should receive 3 doses of vaccines (inclusive of the mRNA vaccines or Nuvaxovid vaccine) to complete their primary vaccination series.
Persons who had received two or more doses of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine, and have completed their three-dose primary vaccination series are recommended to receive a booster dose with an mRNA vaccine or Nuvaxovid, if they are medically eligible to do so. Persons should only receive the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine as a booster if they are medically ineligible to receive
the mRNA vaccines and Nuvaxovid.
Children who turn 12 on the day of their first appointment will receive the dose for ages 12 and above. Those who received the paediatric dosage on their first appointment will continue to receive the same dosage on their second appointment, even if they have turned 12 between the first and second vaccine doses.
For those nearing their 12th birthday and desire to receive the adult dose, they have the choice to wait until after their birthday to do so.
For more information on booster doses, visit MOH's website.