Students exempted from physical activity for 1 week after Covid-19 jabs: MOE

SINGAPORE — Schools and Institutes of Higher Learning have been excusing students from physical activity for one week after receiving their first and second dose of the Covid-19 vaccination since late June, when schools reopened after the mid-year holidays.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) was responding on Tuesday (July 6) to queries from TODAY. This was a day after the Government's expert committee on Covid-19 vaccination amended its advisory on this matter, asking those who get any dose from messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines to avoid exercise or strenuous physical activity for a week.

These would be the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines approved under the national voluntary vaccination exercise.

In an updated advisory on Monday, the Ministry of Health (MOH) called on individuals to avoid strenuous activities after getting both their first and second Covid-19 jabs.

The range of activities covered swimming, cycling, lifting heavy weights and playing ball and racket games. Competitive sports and physical education were also listed in the advisory.

Previously, on June 11, the expert committee had stated that those vaccinated should avoid strenuous physical activity for a week only after their second dose of the mRNA vaccines.

The update came as MOH investigated the collapse of a 16-year-old boy from a suspected cardiac arrest six days after his first Pfizer-BioNTech jab, just after a strenuous gym workout.

As of Monday, MOH said that the youth was in critical condition at National University Hospital (NUH).

In response to queries from TODAY, both NUH and MOH declined to give more details of the youth's condition due to patient confidentiality.

In its statement, MOE said that all physical education and co-curricular activity teachers will check in with students before the start of these activities, and advised parents and students to be mindful of potential side-effects from the vaccination.

“In particular, if they were to develop chest pain, shortness of breath or abnormal heartbeats, students should seek medical attention promptly,” MOE said.

The ministry also said that it will continue to work with MOH and the Health Sciences Authority to closely monitor students who have experienced adverse reactions after the vaccination, so that the appropriate care is given to these students promptly. 

Last week, in response to an open letter from a group of doctors who called for vaccination of youth to be halted, the expert committee kept to its position and said that the benefits of receiving the mRNA vaccines continue to outweigh the risks of vaccination. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY BENJAMIN SIM