Coronavirus: Full jab soon required for SafePass (updated)

SafePass requirements are being tweaked by the health ministry which means that those who only receive their first dose of the vaccine will no longer be eligible.

The policy shift was apparently prompted by the 11,000 or so who received their first dose but did not proceed with their second shot.

Those who have not had their second shot now have until October 18 to do so for their SafePass to remain valid, the health ministry said in an announcement on Tuesday.

The ministry said that those who do not get the second shot will essentially be deemed ‘unvaccinated’ and will have to take a private coronavirus test every three days to obtain a SafePass.

“Vaccination with only the first dose, according to the scientific data, offers less coverage while it is not as effective against variants,” the announcement read.

The ministry called on those who may now wish to proceed with their second dose to do so at walk-in vaccination centres across the island, reiterating that the timeframe between first and second shots vary between the various companies.

Specifically, the period between shots for Pfizer recipients is three weeks, four for Moderna and eight for AstraZeneca.

According to the ministry, the rate of vaccination with the first dose stands at 81.1 per cent of the adult population while the fully vaccinated adult population is at 78.4 per cent.