Advertisement
Opinion | Hong Kong’s ‘wait and see’ vaccine sceptics should look at the struggles of Asia’s Covid-19 success stories
- Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand kept the virus under control in 2020 but are now seeing a resurgence
- As variants continue to emerge and experts warn the virus may become endemic, now is the time to protect yourself and others
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
63
Various reasons have been given for the slow uptake of Covid-19 vaccines in Hong Kong, where only about 15 per cent of residents have taken at least one shot despite the government’s vaccination programme being open to all with sufficient doses to go around.
Advertisement
One reason, say observers, is mistrust in government attributed to deep-seated grievances towards Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s administration. To some, being vaccinated is akin to supporting the government and thus endorsing Lam’s leadership.
Then there are fears of vaccine safety following reports of side effects and adverse reactions – even as global experts maintain these incidents are statistically minuscule.
Others still want to “wait and see”, saying it makes no difference if one is vaccinated or not. They point to the pandemic being largely under control in Hong Kong and how vaccinated people still get Covid-19, even though the incidence is rare and vaccinated individuals show much milder symptoms that do not require medical oxygen, for example.
Advertisement
Yet the headlines from Asia this week should give vaccine hesitaters and other sceptics pause for thought.
Advertisement