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Singapore has approved the use ofPfizer Inc. andBioNTech SE’s coronavirus vaccine and expects the first shipments by the end of the month, by which time it also plans to move into the final phase of its virus curbs.
Other vaccines are expected to arrive in Singapore “in the coming months,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech on Monday, adding the country will have enough for everyone by the third quarter of next year. Meanwhile, Singapore will further ease restrictions to stem the spread of the virus on Dec. 28, expanding the number of people allowed to gather from five to eight.
The country has set aside more than S$1 billion ($750 million) for vaccines, Lee said during the national address. “We placed multiple bets, to sign advance purchase agreements and make early down-payments for the most promising candidates,” including withModerna Inc. andSinovac Biotech Ltd, he said.
Singapore will be one of the first countries to obtain the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Lee said. The drug has already been approved in theU.K. andCanada, and recently gained emergency U.S. authorization, marking a scientific sprint that could eventually help bring an end to a pandemic that has killed more than one million people worldwide.
190,920 in U.S.Most new cases today
+9% Change in MSCI World Index of global stocks since Wuhan lockdown, Jan. 23
-0.8278 Change in U.S. treasury bond yield since Wuhan lockdown, Jan. 23
4% Global GDP Tracker (annualized), Oct.