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Hong Kong domestic helpers reluctant to get Covid-19 vaccines amid concerns over efficacy, side effects
- Eman Villanueva, spokesman for Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, says most helpers are adopting a wait-and-see approach on vaccination
- Betty Yung, of Hong Kong Employers of Overseas Domestic Helpers Association, says bosses will not force workers to get the shots
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Domestic helpers in Hong Kong are reluctant to receive Covid-19 jabs because of worries about possible side-effects and the efficacy of vaccines, according to concern groups and an employers’ association.
The lukewarm response comes as authorities expanded the city’s vaccination campaign by including the 370,000-strong helper community among the priority groups in the free inoculation programme this week.
Eman Villanueva, a spokesman for the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, said on Tuesday that the hesitation on whether to get the shots was widespread among helpers.
“We are glad that the Hong Kong government can include the helpers as a priority group in the vaccination programme. We are also encouraging them to take the shots. But most of them are adopting a wait-and-see approach,” he said.
“There have been some debates and most remained undecided, according to our initial observation.”
Some helpers were reluctant because of misinformation on social media, Villanueva said, referring to online theories by vaccine opponents that drug companies only wanted to sell their products, or the shots could make people sick.
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