Editorial | Book your coronavbirus vaccine shots to save lives and eliminate waste
- With stocks of Covid-19 vaccine nearing their expiry date and take-up low, the Hong Kong government, employers and individuals have to encourage as many people as possible to get inoculated before it is too late
It is not often that someone really makes a difference. If there were to be a prize now for doing so, surely it should be reserved for anyone who can come up with an idea to convince most Hongkongers to have free Covid-19 vaccinations, instead of holding out. A return to normal life still depends on it, even though the city may just have had zero infections two days in a row.
Officials from the city’s leader down continue their efforts to spur greater take-up of the vaccine offer, largely in vain. The prospect of vaccination being a condition of future travel, raised by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, has not proved immediately compelling without quarantine relief.
Nor has the likelihood of relaxed social-distancing and face-mask rules, or a warning that the city’s competitiveness is at risk.
The hesitancy to take the jabs, after the clamour for vaccines before they became available, is confounding and perplexing. Perhaps it is because of publicity about reported side effects of vaccinations, along with the lack of instant incentives such as travel.
Regardless, the government has to lead the way in doing whatever it takes to cut through distraction, misinformation and a false sense of security, even if that means having to offer incentives to do the right thing. Only then can it convince more people to have the jab and generate momentum behind the vaccination campaign.