Clear up confusion over vaccine doses
- Sudden U-turn on adolescents needing only one BioNTech jab, instead of two as previously recommended, is bound to fuel scepticism and misunderstanding
The prolonged Covid-19 pandemic makes adjustments in fighting strategies inevitable, but they may also create confusion when made too often and are not well explained.
The sudden U-turn on adolescents needing only one dose of the BioNTech vaccine, instead of two as previously recommended, is bound to fuel scepticism and misunderstanding.
The government should closely monitor the uptake of jabs within the age group and step up publicity to rebuild confidence in inoculation among parents and youngsters.
What Hong Kong parents need to know about one-dose vaccines for adolescents
The new advice by government experts is essentially striking a balance between immunisation and the risk of having adverse effects. Since the lowering in June of the vaccination age limit to 12, there have been 37 cases of heart inflammation, a rate higher than previously expected.
As the condition usually occurred following the second dose, experts believe the risk would be reduced by 80 per cent by waiving the second shot. Given the local situation regarding infections is fairly stable, it is believed that one dose of the vaccine will still provide adequate protection.
There is no reason to blame the experts for the original two-shot advice. They made their recommendation based on the information available at the time.
But some parents will understandably be dismayed to learn of the risks that their children have been exposed to. Many may fear their children will still suffer from undesirable effects rather than be reassured by the reduced risk of infection.
Some say the government is being inconsistent about the doses required to ensure protection. Those in other age groups may also wonder whether they need a second shot.
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The community vaccination programme is already facing difficulties in inoculating elderly citizens, even though statistics show they are more vulnerable to infections and serious complications.
The revised approach for vaccinating youngsters is bound to make doubters even more sceptical. So far over 65 per cent of those eligible have received at least one shot, but there is still much to be done.
This includes generating further publicity to address the concerns of the public so that more people will feel comfortable in coming forward.
