Singapore close to vaccinating all eligible people against COVID-19

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination rate has risen to 96% of the eligible population and authorities are now racing ahead to administer booster shots amid concerns over the Omicron variant.

The health ministry of the city-state, which has among the highest vaccination rates in the world, said late on Tuesday that it had updated the official vaccination rate to account for a small drop in the population.

As of Nov. 29, 96% of the eligible population had completed the full vaccination regimen, updated from 94%, the ministry said. That translates to about 86% of the total population of about 5.5 million.

About two months ago, 82% of the total population had been fully vaccinated against the virus.

Singapore had barred unvaccinated people from entering shopping malls from mid-October, and authorities have said they will further tighten rules from Jan. 1, including only allowing vaccinated individuals to enter workplaces.

The country has administered boosters to 26% of the population.

Singapore has not detected any cases of Omicron yet.

On Tuesday, it said that two travellers from Johannesburg who tested positive for the coronavirus variant in Sydney had transited through Changi airport.

(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan and Chen Lin in Singapore; Editing by Himani Sarkar)