Those who had Covid-19 4 to 7 months ago have a 3% chance of reinfection
People who had Covid-19 four to seven months ago have a 3 per cent chance of getting infected again, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Monday (Aug 1).
Meanwhile, those who had been infected with the Delta variant last year have a 20 per cent chance of getting reinfected.
Responding in Parliament to a question by Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar GRC), who had asked about reinfection rates in the light of the new Omicron sub-variants, Mr Ong said that for those infected over the last three months, the chance of getting another infection is "very rare".
"Of course, this picture will change as time goes by, and the protective effect of prior infections will wane. Hence, having been infected by Covid-19 before should not be a reason to let your guard down," said Mr Ong.
He added that reinfection during the current wave has been low in Singapore, likely due to the good vaccination coverage here and the nation having gone through a major Omicron BA.2 infection wave recently.
Mr Ong said that reinfections are likely to increase as the protection from prior infections wanes. He added that the Ministry of Health (MOH) should start to include reinfection numbers in its daily case counts.
In the past, if a patient was infected twice, he would be counted only once in the daily reports, said Mr Ong.
From today, MOH will start to report the number of infection episodes rather than the number of daily infections, which should lead to a more accurate reflection of the pandemic situation, he said.
Mr Ong said that after 10 months, the protective effect of three doses of mRNA vaccines remains very strong in preventing severe illness. This is why the Government is recommending those aged 80 and above to get their second booster, so as to protect themselves against severe disease.
Mr Ong said that those aged 50 to 79 have a strong protection level from their previous three shots, but noted that they are at the age when chronic illnesses start to set in. So they will be offered the second booster if they want to take it because they are travelling, or are worried about their health because of underlying illnesses.
He added that experts are actively studying the benefits of a fourth shot for the 60- to 79-year-olds in further reducing the likelihood of severe illness, and that their recommendations will be announced shortly.
Those below the age of 60 do not require a second booster if they are healthy, added Mr Ong.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
