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SINGAPORE: Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said he will decide in a couple of weeks if Singapore's H1N1 alert status will be lowered to green from the current yellow.
But he stressed that even if it goes down to green, the war against H1N1 isn't over.
The number of flu cases in polyclinics has spiked over the last two weeks and it may seem like the beginning of a rise in influenza activity.
But the Health Minister said this is not the second wave of H1N1 and even if it is, he said it's not lethal.
Still, it doesn't mean the public can take things for granted.
Mr Khaw said Singapore must remain vigilant and be prepared to swing back to "Yellow" alert status if the situation worsens which is why, it's necessary to stock up on the H1N1 flu vaccine.
The shelf life of the H1N1 vaccine is about a year.
And when asked if he would give it away to patients in nursing homes or hospitals, Mr Khaw said it's more a case of using the vaccine only when needed.
Mr Khaw said the ministry intends to stock up on the H5N1 vaccine as the threat of bird flu remains.
While no details were given, the ministry is currently evaluating tenders to stock up about one million doses of the bird flu pre-pandemic vaccine.
He likens it to an insurance policy that people buy but hopes never to use.
Mr Khaw said: "When you buy life insurance, you hope not to catch it right? You hope to live a long life. So likewise, vaccine is one of those where you stock it up. Yes, even if you have to write if off, that's insurance policy. Of course you try to make use of it as much as you can and you also try not to overstock." - 938LIVE/vm
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