Singapore may be first APAC country to get herd immunity: report

It needs to open its economy to visitors without having to quarantine.

Singapore can possibly be the first country in Asia Pacific to achieve herd immunity, as it expects to complete its vaccination programme sometime in Q3 2021, according to a report by Moody’s Analytics.

The country started to inoculate in early January, and reached a vaccination rate of 6.2% by 18 February, an increase of over 6 percentage points in about five weeks, data from Our World reveals.

Moody’s Analytics chief APAC economist Steve Cochrane noted that the countries that have contained COVID-19 have equally important reasons to administer the vaccine at a rapid rate.

“Singapore, for example, needs to its economy to visitors without the need for quarantine upon arrival, to bring back the large travel, tourism and hospitality industries without the risk of spreading the pandemic to the local population,” Cochrane said.

He added that Singapore needs to be able to accommodate frequent business travel for executives who need to make on-ground assessments regarding business expansion and investment.

Whilst international business travel might never return to pre-COVID-19 levels as online video communication replaces in-person meetings, travel for critical moments in business practices will still be necessary.

“Even if COVID-19 is under control or eliminated altogether, the need to vaccinate and create herd immunity to the virus will be critical to the reopening of international borders and accommodating the uninterrupted flow of business travellers,” Cochrane said.