Should persons who had completed three doses of Sinovac-CoronaVac continue to receive a fourth dose of Sinovac-CoronaVac?

Persons who have received three doses of COVID-19 vaccines, of which two or more doses of comprise Sinovac-CoronaVac*, are recommended to receive a fourth dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty, Moderna/Spikevax or Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine to achieve minimum protection, unless medically ineligible for the abovementioned vaccines.

However, they can receive Sinovac-CoronaVac as their fourth dose if they choose to.

Those who received an mRNA or the Novavax/Nuvaxovid vaccine as their third dose should receive the fourth dose about five months thereafter.

Those who received the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine as their third vaccine dose should receive the fourth dose at three months thereafter, due to lower antibody levels generated by the third vaccine dose.

For now, Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine continues to be included under the National Vaccination Programme (NVP)^. Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have successfully obtained full registration. However, if there is no application for Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine to be fully registered, NVP will lapse for Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine, by 30 September 2024. Nevertheless, Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine will continue to be available at private clinics which have applied to use it under the Special Access Route (SAR).

*Recommendations for Sinovac-Coronavac should similarly apply to Sinopharm

^Under the National Vaccination Programme, vaccination is free for all Singaporean Citizens, Permanent Resident, Long Term Pass Holders and certain Short Term Pass holders.