LettersHong Kong Covid vaccines: blame games never helped anyone

Give the people still weighing the costs and benefits of coronavirus vaccination a strong reason to get in queue

Considering Hong Kong’s close economic and social links with the mainland, promising to speed up border reopenings could be a solution

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A view of the Shenzhen Bay Bridge. Vaccinated persons should be allowed to travel across the border after fewer days of quarantine. Photo: Martin Chan

Published: 6:40am, 8 Jun 2021Updated: 6:40am, 8 Jun 2021

I am delighted that many socially responsible Hong Kong companies have offered “carrots” for people to get vaccinated. How effective they are remains to be seen, but they have at least created a positive mood in society towards booking a jab. However, I vehemently object to suggestions that the government should wield the stick against those who do not get inoculated, by imposing restrictions on their activities, for example.

Public confidence in the government has been at an unprecedented low since the political unrest of 2019, and this is why there are rumours casting doubt on the safety of the government-procured jabs. The authorities should not be sparking even more discontent by bulldozing people into getting their shots.

Criticism of those who have not been vaccinated – accusations that people are being selfish – should be tempered. While it is true that it is everyone’s civic responsibility to help maintain public health, every citizen also has the right to choose. Moreover, we should take into account those who are can’t get vaccinated because of medical conditions.

Thus, it’s vital for the government to review the roots of the problem: why aren’t more people taking the jabs?

The genuine reason, I reckon, is that the benefits of vaccination have yet to be driven home. In other words, people feel they do not need to get vaccinated since Hong Kong has kept the pandemic under control in recent months. For many, the cost of getting vaccinated – namely, the possible side effects of the doses – appears to outweigh the benefit of vaccination, i.e. immunity against the virus.

What is the wait-and-see approach about? People are either waiting for the cost of not getting vaccinated to spiral – this could take another outbreak – or for the benefit to outweigh the cost.

Being cautious and disciplined, the government has maintained a strict policy on coronavirus, so the chance of another mass outbreak is rather low. Therefore, the only way to boost the inoculation rate may be to increase the benefit.