Singapore: PM receives COVID-19 vaccine as nationwide vaccination drive begins
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on January 8, at the start of a nationwide drive to vaccinate staff across various public healthcare institutions.
PM Lee receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at Singapore General Hospital on Jan 8, 2021. (Photo: Singaporean Ministry of Communications and Information)
Singapore (VNA) – Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong received his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on January 8, at the start of a nationwide drive to vaccinate staff across various public healthcare institutions.
The PM, the first member of Singapore's Cabinet to get the shot, was at SGH to observe the begin of inoculations for healthcare workers, and said he took the opportunity to get his own vaccine.
Believing the vaccine is effective and important, the PM hopes Singaporeans will take it up as it is rolled out.
Singapore received its first shipment of vaccines on Dec 21, making it the first Asian country to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech product.
Earlier, a small-scale test run took place at the country’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases, where 40 employees received their jabs on December 30, 2020.
Vaccinations for the elderly and those at greater risk of severe COVID-19 will start in February, beginning with seniors aged 70 and above. Vaccinations will be free for all Singaporeans and long-term residents in Singapore.
Meanwhile, in Malaysia, the Government has ordered employers to provide quarantine spaces and bear the cost of administering COVID-19 vaccines as well as screenings for their foreign labourers.
🐟 In Thailand, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has planned to set up field hospitals in the capital that can accomodate 1,700 COVID-19 patients./.
Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP) was estimated at minus 5.8 percent last year, the country’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) announced on January 4.
Singapore will harness four switches to transform and diversify energy supply, so as to achieve its vision of a clean and efficient energy future, Tan See Leng, Singaporean Second Minister for Trade and Industry, said at a parliament meeting on January 5.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
PM Lee receiving the COVID-19 vaccine at Singapore General Hospital on Jan 8, 2021. (Photo: Singaporean Ministry of Communications and Information) 
