It’s okay if we didn’t get any medals at the Tokyo Olympics – we’ve at least gotten a silver when it comes to fully vaccinating our people against COVID-19.
And when lives are concerned, this “medal” definitely matters more.
In fact, we were trailing just a few per cent behind the “gold medalist” Malta, whose population is admittedly much lower than ours!
Even Israel, the country that sprinted ahead when it comes to vaccinating its people, leaving everyone else in its wake, only managed to get around 60% of its population fully vaccinated.
Health Minister: 80% of the S’pore Population are Fully Vaccinated As Of Today (29 Aug)
The Health Minister, Ong Ye Kung, has recently published a post on Facebook, stating that 80% of the population has already received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of today (29 August 2021).
He added, “Singapore has taken another step forward in making ourselves more resilient to COVID-19.”
This is all thanks to the government’s efforts in vaccinating homebound individuals, with more than 4,300 of them receiving their jab with the help of home vaccination teams.
The ministry has managed to triple the number of home vaccination teams from 11 to 33.
By doing so, the waiting time for homebound individuals wanting the vaccine shot has been reduced by an entire month, from eight weeks to only four.
According to the minister, they are aiming to complete all home vaccination by the end of September this year.
Why This 80% Milestone Matters So Much?
Here’s a quick biology lesson for you!
You’ve surely been hearing about this “herd immunity” thing and how it will help us get rid of COVID-19 forever.
Well, herd immunity basically means that enough of the population has achieved some form of immunity against a specific disease, through infection, vaccination or both.
Thanks to this “shield” of immunity, the disease will not be able to spread to any segment of the population any longer and the population is considered “protected” from the disease.
Now, the vaccination threshold for herd immunity to be reached varies greatly between diseases.
For instance, in order to achieve herd immunity for measles, a whopping 95% of the population has to be vaccinated against the disease.
For polio, however, the threshold is set at around 80%.
For COVID-19, experts place the estimated herd immunity threshold in between 80% to 90%.
This estimate takes into account the high transmissibility of the Delta variant.
We are definitely well on our way to achieve herd immunity for COVID-19 so this means that a return to normal is very possible, even as soon as this Christmas.
Fingers crossed!
Still unconvinced about vaccinations? Watch this video to the end to understand the truth behind these vaccines:
Read Also:
- Sinopharm COVID-19 Vaccine will be Available in S’pore from Tomorrow (30 Aug)
- Woman Mistaken for Stealing Neighbour’s Package Was Actually Retrieving Her Own Package from a Neighbour’s House
Featured Image: Facebook (Ong Ye Kung)