BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN – All individuals aged 18 and above will be able to get the COVID-19 jab from July 5 as the health ministry moves to speed up the pace of vaccinations.

The ministry announced in a statement on Thursday that Phase 3 of the national vaccination drive will open to all adults next Monday, just two weeks after the second phase of vaccine rollout began.

Individuals who wish to get the vaccine during the third phase are required to reserve a slot, especially those who will attend His Majesty’s 75th birthday celebrations.

The traditional public events of the monarch’s birthday celebrations will proceed this year, but attendees and participants must be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Only adults who have booked a slot through the BruHealth mobile app will be administered the vaccine to prevent congestion at the four vaccination centres, the health ministry said.

However, walk-ins are allowed for senior citizens and special needs individuals.

To date, 69,737 people or 15.3 percent of the population have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose.

A total of 14,721 people, or 3.2 percent of residents, have completed the full vaccination regimen after receiving their second dose.

Since the vaccine rollout started on April 3, Brunei has been administering Oxford-AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines to priority groups including frontline workers, senior citizens and overseas-bound students.

The government began offering Moderna jabs to teachers, childcare workers and individuals with chronic diseases in the second phase of the vaccination programme.

Supplies of the Pfizer vaccine are expected to arrive later in the year.

Slot reservations for Phase 3 of the vaccine rollout will start on July 3 at 8pm via the BruHealth app.

The public must ensure their personal details, including identity card number, phone number and address are updated in their Bru-HIMS account, and their BruHealth account is authenticated.

Individuals who require assistance to reserve slots through the BruHealth app can contact the Health Advice Line 148 during office hours.

Slot bookings made through the Health Advice Line 148 can only be processed two to three days after the following information is provided:

  • Full name stated in the identification card or passport;
  • Identification card number;
  • Bru-HIMS number (BN number);
  • Phone number that can be easily contacted and as stated in the Bru-HIMS account and
  • Requested date and time.

Individuals with medical records in private hospitals or private clinics are required to bring their health records during the vaccination appointment.