COVID-19 medical bills for kids aged 12 and below will be paid for regardless of vaccination status: Ong Ye Kung

The Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccination has been assessed by the Health Sciences Authority and the expert committee on COVID-19 vaccination to be safe, said Dr Puthucheary. 

This is corroborated with international data – in the US, where about 8.7 million doses had been administered to children as of December, 2.4 per cent of children experienced serious adverse events like fever, vomiting, myocarditis and seizures, he added. 

The incidence of myocarditis is about one in a million doses, he said. 

“On the other hand, the incidence of myocarditis among individuals aged 12 to17 infected with COVID-19 is about 45 per 100,000 infections,” he added. 

As of Jan 7, about 123,000 children aged five to 11 in Singapore have received at least one dose of the vaccine or booked their vaccination appointments, said Dr Puthucheary. 

Children who are Singapore citizens, permanent residents, or long-term pass holders are also covered by the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme for COVID-19 vaccination (VIFAP), he noted. 

Since only the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine is authorised for use in children below 18, special exemptions are made for those 12-17 years old who are not medically eligible for it to receive the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine instead, he added. 

The Health Ministry will work with the expert committee on COVID-19 vaccination to review if this should be extended to children aged five to 11 who are also medically ineligible to complete the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, he said. 

There are currently no recommendations for children to receive booster shots, said Dr Puthucheary. 

“If introduced, MOH will continue to ensure that families with children are able to access vaccination services in a convenient manner,” he told the House.

Dr Puthucheary also responded to questions about vaccination rates among children and the young. 

Among those aged 12 to 19, less than 4 per cent, or 14,097 individuals, are unvaccinated as of Jan 6, he said. Fourteen of them are medically ineligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine. 

“Vaccination for children aged five to 11 will help to protect more members of our society from the risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19 infections, and further minimise the risk of community spread,” said Dr Puthucheary. 

“We strongly encourage all parents all guardians to allow their children who are medically eligible to please take up the vaccine when offered to them.”