COVID-19 patients in Singapore who are unvaccinated "by choice” have to cover their own medical costs from December 8 if they are admitted to hospitals or COVID-19 treatment facilities, the Ministry of Health has announced.

Medical workers collect swab sample for COVID-19 testing (Photo: AFP/VNA)

The new rule will apply to patients who are eligible for vaccination but choose not to do so.

The Singaporean Government is currently footing the full COVID-19 medical bills of all Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders, other than for those who test positive soon after returning from overseas travel.

Currently, unvaccinated persons make up a sizeable majority of those who require intensive inpatient care, and disproportionately contribute to the strain on the national healthcare resources, the ministry said.

From January 1 next year, only Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders who are fully vaccinated and have not recently travelled to other countries will have their COVID-19 medical bills fully paid for by the government.

To date, 85 percent of the country’s population of 5.45 million has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Singapore has reported more than 218,330 infections so far, with about 8,000 child patients.

Source: VNA