Demand for influenza vaccination in Singapore skyrockets after Barbie Hsu’s passing

Over 2,000 people in Singapore booked appointments for the influenza vaccine on Feb. 4, a day after news broke about Hsu’s death, The Straits Times reported, citing the Ministry of Health.

For comparison, around 3,000 appointments were scheduled online through the Health Appointment System over the entire last month.

Hsu, known for her performances in TV dramas such as "Meteor Garden," "Mars," and "Summer’s Desire," passed away on Feb. 2 at 49. Her family announced a day later that the cause of death was influenza-related pneumonia, as reported by Sohu.

Taiwanese actress Barbie Hsu. Photo from her Instagram

Multiple clinics in the city-state said that inquiries about flu vaccination surged on the day of the announcement, with some opting to walk in that same day.

Healthway Medical Group, a healthcare provider with 63 general practitioner clinics across Singapore, noted that influenza vaccinations at some locations shot up by 50% on Feb. 3 and 4 compared to a typical Monday and Tuesday in January.

Similarly, Raffles Medical Group reported that flu shot demand across its more than 40 family medicine clinics rose by 20% in the week following Hsu’s passing.

The health ministry said the city-state’s supply of influenza vaccines is adequate despite the spike in demand.

A similar trend has been reported in Taiwan. Taichung Hospital’s Department of Family Medicine, under Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, also recorded a huge uptick in patient numbers on the afternoon of Feb. 3.

The sudden rise in interest even overwhelmed the CDC website, according to United Daily News.

Speaking to Taiwan News on Feb. 4, Hung Wei-chieh, director of the Family Medicine Department at E-Da Hospital, noted that many individuals who had been reluctant before were actively getting vaccinated over the past two days.