Singapore’s whole-of-nation strategy for pandemic response and vaccination of the population

Singapore, a highly urbanized island state, has been able to rapidly mobilize public health services to respond to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. The fast-changing COVID-19 pandemic has posed multiple challenges to the country’s response. Despite this, the partnership between the government, the public and private sectors, and the population has enabled Singapore to translate public health strategies into effective response, achieving one of the highest vaccination rates and lowest mortality rates globally. The response mounted in Singapore has drawn heavily on core public health functions and capacities such as surveillance and testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine, and vaccination, which were increased and adapted to meet the demands of a rapidly evolving virus and crisis.