The Ministry of Health (MOH) in Singapore has strongly refuted allegations made by the People’s Power Party regarding the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, dismissing their claims as “egregious and false.”

The opposition party had urged for a suspension of the vaccination program in a Facebook post dated 29 May, citing purported studies and expert analyses suggesting severe side effects and linking vaccinations to excess deaths.

Responding to these allegations, the MOH issued a detailed statement on Monday (3 June), emphasizing the reliability of scientific data over unfounded claims.

“The assertions made by the People’s Power Party are not only unsupported by evidence, but they are dangerously misleading,” the ministry stated.

“It is imperative that the public draws the right conclusions based on robust scientific research and factual evidence about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.”

The opposition party had claimed that Singapore has been experiencing “unusual and exceptionally high excess deaths” since the vaccine rollout began in 2021, and similar trends were noticeable in other heavily vaccinated countries.

The MOH clarified, “The primary reason why Singapore recorded one of the lowest excess death rates in the world during the pandemic is precisely because the majority of Singaporeans took the vaccines.”

Further dismantling the party’s claims, the MOH presented global and local statistics: “In fact, 19.8 million deaths from COVID-19 were prevented globally within the first 12 months that vaccines became available (from December 2020 to December 2021),” the ministry noted, reinforcing the life-saving impact of the vaccination campaign.

Addressing the specific allegations of excess deaths caused by vaccinations, the MOH explained that the pandemic’s excess deaths primarily involved individuals who had contracted COVID-19, particularly among those who were not vaccinated.

“Contrary to the claims, multiple studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccination significantly reduces the risk of death compared to the unvaccinated during the pandemic period,” the ministry asserted.

The Health Ministry also emphasized the crucial role of vaccines in maintaining healthcare system integrity and public health during successive waves of the pandemic.

“During Singapore’s previous JN.1 wave, the inciden...