Singapore this week is starting mass vaccinations of thousands of front-line aviation and maritime workers.
It has set up two large vaccine centres – at Changi Airport Terminal 4 and the Raffles City Convention Centre to administer Covid jabs.
Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said about 13,000 workers from these two sectors are expected to be vaccinated this week including about 7,000 aviation workers.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore said it is giving priority to workers wjho may come into contact with travellers from overseas.
"These include pilots, cabin crew, airport and aircraft cleaners, security screeners, passenger service agents, baggage handlers and cargo handlers," CAAS said.
Ong said it is a move to ensure ‘when the crisis passes, Singapore will be an aviation hub of the region and the world again.’
"Singapore Airlines can be the first vaccinated international airline in the world," he added.
The vaccination centres have a capacity for up to 4,000 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinations a day.
Written by Ray Montgomery, Asia Editor
