New centres offer both testing and vaccination; over 1,000 people sign up for Novavax jab

Five new centres which can conduct both Covid-19 testing and vaccination operations will open on Tuesday (May 24), helping to consolidate and chart the next phase of Singapore's Covid-19 operations.

Another five such joint testing and vaccination centres (JTVCs) are slated to open progressively from the end of June.

With the majority of the population now vaccinated, Singapore will be progressively closing its vaccination centres from the end of May, said Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, group director of the Ministry of Health's Crisis Strategy and Operations Group.

He was speaking to reporters on Monday at JTVC Bishan, which was previously occupied by Bishan Park Secondary School.

There are 29 vaccination centres islandwide, Mr Dinesh said.

Each JTVC will offer two vaccines. JTVC Bishan offers the Novavax and Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccines.

So far, more than 1,000 people have signed up and booked slots for the Novavax vaccine.

The JTVCs are designed so that they scale up operations if new Covid-19 variants emerge. Each centre can administer up to 4,500 vaccinations a day and run more than 2,000 tests a day.

The centres conduct both antigen rapid tests (ART) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and for three situations - pre-event testing, for those who have acute respiratory infection and those who need to be given stay-home notices.

"We are consolidating our operations and returning the community clubs (where the vaccination centres are) back to residents so that they can return to their routine activities such as basketball and classes," Mr Dinesh said.

"These JTVCs are still conveniently located within familiar grounds for the public and the public can always come in and get the vaccinations and tests done," he added.

The five JTVCs that will open on Tuesday are in Jurong East, Pasir Ris, Kaki Bukit, Bishan and Commonwealth. Singaporeans can book their testing and vaccination slots at any of these JTVCs.

"We see ourselves operating such facilities for at least a year, if not two years, depending on how the virus evolves. We anticipate that there will be new variants, and more people may need booster shots," Mr Dinesh said.

This is because those who are getting tests done may be infected with the virus, he added.

The centres are colour-coded to differentiate between the services, with green signs for the vaccination sections and purple ones for the testing areas.

When a patient arrives for a jab, he will be directed to a holding room to wait for his turn. He will then proceed to register for the vaccination.

After getting the shot, he will go to another room, where he will be observed before being allowed to leave.

Where to go

The public is strongly encouraged to book an appointment at this website before proceeding to the JTVCs.

They are located at:

- JTVC Jurong East (former Shuqun Secondary)

- JTVC Pasir Ris (former Siglap Secondary)

- JTVC Kaki Bukit (former Bedok North Secondary)

- JTVC Bishan (former Bishan Park Secondary)

- JTVC Commonwealth (former MOE Heritage Centre)