<p>Singapore received Asia's first delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Monday, capping what the city-state's premier said had been a "long and arduous" year spent fighting the pandemic.</p>.<p>The trade and finance hub last week joined a handful of other countries around the world, including Britain and the United States, which have approved the jab.</p>.<p>It plans to innoculate its 5.7 million people by the third quarter of 2021, with priority given to health workers, the elderly and the medically vulnerable.</p>.<p>"Delighted to see the first shipment of vaccines arrive in Singapore," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote on Facebook, after a Singapore Airlines flight carrying the vaccines landed from Belgium.</p>.<p>"It's been a long and arduous year, I hope that this news will give Singaporeans cheer this festive season, and reason to be optimistic for 2021."</p>.<p>Vaccination in Singapore will be voluntary, but Lee has strongly encouraged people to get take part in the campaign.</p>.<p>The Pfizer vaccine requires a two-shot treatment and must be kept at temperatures below -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit) to work effectively.</p>.<p>Transportation Minister Ong Ye Kung said a local facility was producing four tonnes of dry ice each day to properly refrigerate the goods.</p>.<p>Singapore will further ease social distancing restrictions from December 28 after weeks of barely any local coronavirus infections.</p>.<p>Authorities initially kept Covid-19 in check through rigorous contact tracing but the virus later swept through dormitories housing low-paid migrant workers.</p>.<p>The city has reported more than 58,000 virus infections but a relatively low 29 deaths. Its borders remain closed to most international visitors.</p>
<p>Singapore received Asia's first delivery of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine on Monday, capping what the city-state's premier said had been a "long and arduous" year spent fighting the pandemic.</p>.<p>The trade and finance hub last week joined a handful of other countries around the world, including Britain and the United States, which have approved the jab.</p>.<p>It plans to innoculate its 5.7 million people by the third quarter of 2021, with priority given to health workers, the elderly and the medically vulnerable.</p>.<p>"Delighted to see the first shipment of vaccines arrive in Singapore," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong wrote on Facebook, after a Singapore Airlines flight carrying the vaccines landed from Belgium.</p>.<p>"It's been a long and arduous year, I hope that this news will give Singaporeans cheer this festive season, and reason to be optimistic for 2021."</p>.<p>Vaccination in Singapore will be voluntary, but Lee has strongly encouraged people to get take part in the campaign.</p>.<p>The Pfizer vaccine requires a two-shot treatment and must be kept at temperatures below -70 degrees Celsius (-94 degrees Fahrenheit) to work effectively.</p>.<p>Transportation Minister Ong Ye Kung said a local facility was producing four tonnes of dry ice each day to properly refrigerate the goods.</p>.<p>Singapore will further ease social distancing restrictions from December 28 after weeks of barely any local coronavirus infections.</p>.<p>Authorities initially kept Covid-19 in check through rigorous contact tracing but the virus later swept through dormitories housing low-paid migrant workers.</p>.<p>The city has reported more than 58,000 virus infections but a relatively low 29 deaths. Its borders remain closed to most international visitors.</p>