Singapore has received its first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines, making it the first country in Asia

Singapore: Singapore has received its first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines, making it the first country in Asia to take the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech as it plans to inoculate its 5.7 million people by the third quarter of 2021.

The first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine landed in Singapore on Monday, as per the reports.

Covid-19 vaccineSingapore is one of the first few countries to approve and get Covid-19 vaccines. Others that have approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are Britain, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Bahrain and Qatar. Britain, the US and Canada are already carrying out vaccination exercises.

The vaccines were received by Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung and were taken to a cold-chain facility for storage and ground transportation.

Singapore also wants to become a Covid-19 vaccine distribution hub for the region, Ong said.

Covid-19 vaccine The vaccine shipment comes a week before Singapore is set to go into Phase 3 of its reopening on December 28.

Other vaccinations are also expected to arrive in Singapore in the coming months, and the country "will have enough vaccines for everyone" by the third quarter of 2021.

Vaccinations will be free for all Singaporeans as well as long-term residents currently in Singapore.