Around 30% of Home Team front-liners have received booster jabs
SINGAPORE - Around 30 per cent of Home Team front-liners, or 10,090 personnel, have received their Covid-19 booster shots as at Nov 26. These front-line personnel include officers aged between 18 and 29 years old and span the range of Home Team departments, which include the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Singapore Prison Service. Full-time national servicemen are also in the group. Responding to queries from The Straits Times, a spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Monday (Dec 6): "The Home Team targets for eligible officers to complete the booster vaccination exercise by the first quarter of 2022 while balancing against the need to maintain operational continuity." Those eligible can take either the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty booster vaccine and will be exempted from strenuous physical activity for two weeks after receiving their booster jabs. From Oct 9, Home Team officers aged 30 and above and selected groups of front-line officers aged below 30 - such as those involved in front-line healthcare operations - were progressively invited by the Ministry of Health to receive their...
7 men arrested for suspected illegal gambling; 49 people under investigation
SINGAPORE - Seven men, aged between 37 and 53, were arrested for their suspected involvement in illegal gambling activities in three police operations in October and November. Another 45 men and four women, aged between 37 and 83, are also being investigated for illegal gambling, horse betting and remote gambling offences, said the Singapore Police Force on Wednesday (Dec 1). On Oct 29, officers from Central Police Division conducted an enforcement check on a shophouse unit in Norris Road suspected to house illegal gambling activities. Two men, aged between 37 and 53, were found to have allegedly organised illegal gambling activities for nine other men, aged between 37 and 67, who were also in the unit. The police said gambling equipment, such as poker cards, was found and seized, and seven men were arrested. The remaining four are under investigation. "All 11 men are assisting with investigations into breaches of safe distancing measures under the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Control Order) Regulations 2020," added the police. On Nov 20, officers from Woodlands Police Division conducted an enforcement check in Marsiling Road. A man and a woman, aged between 60 and 62, were alleg...
Covid-19 booster shots for healthcare workers, front-line workers and those 30 and above
SINGAPORE - From Saturday (Oct 9), healthcare workers, front-line workers and those aged 30 and above will be invited to take Covid-19 vaccine booster shots. They will join those aged 50 to 59 who have been receiving their booster shots from Oct 3. The Ministry of Health (MOH) said the booster jabs will be administered to these groups of people who have received their two-dose regimen at least six months ago. "Our healthcare and front-line workers are more likely to come into regular contact with Covid-19 cases in the course of their work and are at greater risk of infection," it said. Those in institutions such as prisons and residential care facilities will also get booster jabs, said MOH, as these places are indoor settings with higher human density and thus predisposed to large outbreaks of Covid-19. "We are also working with various institutions to progressively roll out booster vaccinations to eligible persons in institutionalised settings," the ministry added. In addition, expanding the booster programme to those aged 30 and above will help to raise the overall level of protection in the population, MOH said. From Saturday, people in this group will receive a text message wi...
Home recovery the default Covid-19 care arrangement, except for certain groups
SINGAPORE - The Covid-19 Home Recovery Programme (HRP) will be the default care arrangement for everyone, except certain groups, from Sunday (Oct 10). The following groups of people will be excluded from this arrangement: 1. Partially or unvaccinated individuals aged 50 and older; 2. Vaccinated people aged 80 and older; 3. Children below one year old, and those aged one to four years who have been assessed to be clinically unsuitable for home recovery. This was announced by the multi ministry task force tackling Covid-19 on Saturday (Oct 9) at a virtual press conference. Since the start of HRP on Sept 15, more than 19,000 individuals have been recovering at home. More than 8,000 have fully recovered. "As our population has become more familiar with the HRP, and our healthcare professionals have become more experienced in handling the medical needs of those on HRP, it is timely to extend the HRP to a wider range of individuals, especially for those with mild or no symptoms," the Ministry of Health (MOH) said. This will allow the ministry to better prioritise resources to take care of the severely ill or vulnerable patients, without compromising care to those who may be younger with ...
Covid-19 vaccination drive for 400,000 students aged 12 and above kicks off
SINGAPORE - The national Covid-19 vaccination drive for more than 400,000 students aged 12 and above kicked off as early as 8am on Thursday (June 3), starting with those taking their N, O, and A-level examinations. When The Straits Times visited Bishan Community Club on Thursday, there was a steady stream of students and parents accompanying them to take the vaccine. Among the first in line was Anglo-Chinese Junior College student Ryan Oh, 17. Ryan, who is taking the A-level examination this year, said he was doing his part to protect his grandmother who lives with him. Even though most seniors have taken the vaccine, Ryan's grandmother has not been granted approval from her doctor to do so as she has severe allergies. "The new coronavirus variants spread faster, and this new wave of Covid-19 seems more concerning than last year. I don't want to risk passing it to her," he said. One parent, Ms Liza Ng, 46, signed her daughter Shyanne, 17, up for the jab even though she recognises that those who are vaccinated can still get Covid-19. The civil servant said: "It's one of the things I can do to protect my daughter. Even if she gets Covid-19, her symptoms will be less severe." She also...
Best kids’ subscription boxes: Learning out of the box during the pandemic
SINGAPORE - When Ms Ziyi Sheena Cheong signed up for a children's books subscription service in January, she did not realise how useful it would turn out to be. At the time, the busy mum of two wanted to find age-appropriate titles and was impressed by the detailed questions from One Happy Book. Chace, four, and Scarlett, two, were "absolutely delighted" by their monthly package of surprises, she says. Their subscription proved a godsend during the circuit breaker, when they read twice a day. "The kids and I got to spend quality time. They loved pointing at the illustrations and they pretended to know how to read the words (they're still learning) but it was very nice," says Ms Cheong, 34, a florist who runs ForPeopleWhoLoveFlowers. "It helped accompany us during the day and in the evening when we were getting them ready for bed. After reading them over and over again many times, I gift them to my friends' kids so the books get love over and over again." The pandemic has renewed interest in such subscription boxes for kids as families spend more time at home and parents seek out meaningful ways to engage their little ones. While there are many overseas-based services, there are now...