Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) has announced that the first shipment of Moderna vaccines arrived in Singapore on Feb 17, 2021. Ministry is monitoring the supplies closely, to meet the country's target of vaccinating all Singaporeans and long-term residents by the end of this year.

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized by Singapore's Health Sciences Authority (HSA) earlier on Feb 3, 2021 for use in Singapore in individuals aged 18 years and above. The two doses vaccine required to be administered 28 days apart.

HSA’s has confirmed the 94% efficacy of the vaccine based on a Phase III clinical trial conducted in over 30,000 clinical trial participants whose ages ranged from 18 to 95 years. Moderna vaccine is not recommended by HSA for Pregnant women, Severely immunocompromised persons and those under the age of 18 as the safety and efficacy data for these groups are not available yet.

Singapore is competitively equipped to store the vaccines. Moderna's vaccine can be stored at -20 degrees Celsius and lasts in a fridge for 30 days, while Pfizer's vaccine has to be stored at -70 degrees Celsius and lasts for only five days at standard refrigerator temperatures.

Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said, "Singapore Airlines and #SATS have been busy with cargo deliveries. This has put to good use our capabilities to handle temperature-sensitive pharmaceuticals and the connectivity with cities around the world."