Take-up Rates for Recommended Adult Vaccinations

Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health (a) over the last three years, what have been the take-up rates of adult vaccinations recommended by the Ministry; and (b) how is the Ministry helping to raise awareness of adult vaccination, especially for those in the high-risk groups, such as the elderly and those with medical conditions.

MOH established the National Adult Immunisation Schedule (NAIS) in November 2017 to provide guidance on important vaccinations for adults. These vaccinations include catch-up vaccinations and vaccinations that high-risk adults should receive. MediSave may be used to pay for NAIS vaccinations.

To encourage take-up, some public healthcare institutions held vaccination awareness campaigns and conducted road shows and talks during the annual World Immunisation Week. Information on the NAIS is available on the Health Promotion Board's (HPB) HealthHub Portal.

The NAIS also serves as a guide for doctors on the vaccinations they should recommend their patients. MOH periodically reminds doctors to do so.

We have been observing a steady increase in the take-up of NAIS vaccinations since its introduction, with more using MediSave to pay for them. Around 24% of adults between 65 and 79 take up the vaccination according to the National Health population survey 2019. In 2017, 39,000 adults use MediSave for flu vaccination. The number increased to 74,000 in 2018.

In July 2019, the HealthySG Taskforce recommended that to further boost adult vaccination rates, subsidies should be provided to help Singaporeans pay for NAIS recommended vaccinations. The subsidies are targeted to be rolled out before the end of 2020 and details will be announced at a later date. MOH is also planning a series of population-level vaccination awareness campaigns to increase the public's awareness on the importance of vaccination.

I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply. I am very glad that the Ministry is doing all it can to encourage the take-up rate for vaccinations. But, may I know if the vaccination rates are lower, among our lower income group?

Vaccination uptake is influenced by a number of factors. It includes awareness, importance of vaccinations, accessibility and affordability. MOH does not track data on vaccination rates across the different income groups, but we recognise that cost may pose a difficulty for those in a lower income groups. And hence, we hope to reduce the barriers for vaccinations and increase its uptake by extending subsidies for NAIS vaccinations.