Health Ministry condemns ‘false claims’ about Covid-19 vaccines, rejects call for suspension of vaccinations – Mothership.SG

The Ministry of Health issued a statement on 3 June 2024 rejecting calls for a “temporary suspension” of Covid-19 vaccinations in Singapore and criticising the “several groups” behind the calls for “spreading misinformation”.

The Health Ministry’s statement was a response to the People’s Power Party (PPP) statement on May 30.

Ministry of Health rejects allegations

The Ministry of Health’s statement systematically refuted eleven quotes from “experts” cited in the PPP statement.

The Ministry of Health rejected the claim that widespread vaccination had led to the development of certain strains of the virus and that vaccination had a negative effect on the immune system.

The Ministry of Health stressed that there was “a great deal” of scientific evidence that “overwhelmingly” showed that the protection provided by the Covid-19 vaccines outweighed the side effects.

“Yet several groups continue to spread misinformation by either quoting scientific literature out of context or sharing materials from unreliable sources that cannot be held accountable to sow doubts about the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines.”

The ministry added that due to the consolidation of these reports by PPP, the Ministry of Health has the opportunity to refute them “in one fell swoop”.

The Health Ministry also noted that the list of scientific articles cited by PPP was largely from the same group of authors, including some who were reported to be against Covid-19 vaccination.

Positive effects of vaccines

“In a pandemic of this nature, additional deaths are inevitable,” the Ministry of Health said.

It added that the main reason Singapore had one of the world’s lowest excess mortality rates during the pandemic was the fact that the majority of Singaporeans were vaccinated.

“During our previous JN.1 wave, the incidence rate of Covid-19 hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions was almost twice as high among seniors aged 60 and over who were unvaccinated as among those who kept their vaccinations up to date.”

The Ministry of Health added that vaccinations and booster shots reduce the risk of developing long-term illnesses after a Covid-19 infection.

Most side effects were “mild”

While the Ministry of Health acknowledges that “every vaccination has side effects,” it stressed that Singapore has been “transparent” in reporting side effects of the Covid-19 vaccine.

“We reported regularly until July 2023, when the vaccines’ safety profiles were reviewed and no new safety signals were identified. It showed that most adverse reactions were mild and that the reporting rate of serious adverse reactions remained rare at 7 per 100,000 doses (0.007 percent).”

The Ministry of Health also addressed claims made in some newspapers that Covid-19 vaccines increase the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis.

The Ministry of Health noted that although these are known side effects of the vaccines, they remain rare. The incidence rate is given as 0.0004 percent for the bivalent vaccines and 0.001 percent for the original vaccines (as of September 2023).

“It is important to know that the risk of myocarditis/pericarditis after Covid-19 infection is actually higher than after vaccination,” the Ministry of Health said.

Against this background, the benefits of vaccination for all age groups “continue” to outweigh the risks.

On the other hand, the long-term consequences of Covid-19 without vaccination can be “much worse,” including cardiac, respiratory and other complications after infection.

The Ministry of Health stated that this is why international and national health authorities continue to recommend vaccination against Covid-19 and that the Ministry of Health’s recommendations on vaccination against Covid-19 are based on evidence.

“We have been monitoring the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and will continue to do so and adjust our recommendations accordingly,” the Ministry of Health said.

The Ministry of Health concluded its statement by calling on the public to verify information found on the Internet.

Top image via Khoo Teck Puat Hospital/Facebook