But our government is too supine, and folds in front of every effort to frustrate the encouragement of vaccinations. Trying to mandate vaccinations for those wanting to renew their contracts is labelled "discriminatory" and the government folds. Instead of suggesting, say, that both the employer and the employee should be vaccinated for renewal of contract to be valid.
The fact remains: vaccinations are the only way out of this; so the more that get vaccinated the better. However it happens and whatever incentive it takes (like a lottery!).
The text, from online link here:
Covid-19 vaccinations in Hong Kong are free, convenient, easy to book in an efficiently run system, and extremely effective. So why don’t people get vaccinated?
There are a variety of reasons. Concerns over vaccine safety and side effects are the fault of governments around the world pausing vaccinations for infinitesimal side-effect risks on the principle of an “abundance of caution”, rather than taking a “balance of risk” approach, while the media carried scare reports of deaths after vaccination, which exaggerated their occurrence. It didn’t help that French President Emmanuel Macron early on threw shade at the AstraZeneca vaccine, irresponsibly and incorrectly. All this led to understandable hesitancy.
Yet the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccines are overwhelmingly positive, as the experience of highly vaccinated countries is showing. Everyone ought to be lining up to get their jabs.
Our family is fully vaccinated, and we confirm the experience of writers to these pages that the process is simple, friendly and efficient. There is really no excuse for not getting the jabs, but many remain “hesitant”.
One way to improve uptake is to make life more convenient for those of us who are vaccinated (and to stare down those who cry “discrimination” at any attempt to encourage uptake). For example, the government could do away with the mask mandate entirely. Those of us who are vaccinated don’t have to worry – the risk is not zero, but is extremely small.
Those who are unvaccinated have a simple choice: get vaccinated! It’s free, easy and effective. Or take the risk. Wear a mask if you wish. But do not expect those of us who are vaccinated to keep wearing masks because you refuse a simple and effective vaccination. Why should we who have done the right thing have to keep considering those who refuse to do the same? This move could boost our vaccination rate.
The world has vaccinated 1.4 billion people. It’s high time hesitant Hongkongers get the jabs.
Peter Forsythe, Discovery Bay
Covid-19 vaccinations in Hong Kong are free, convenient, easy to book in an efficiently run system, and extremely effective. So why don’t people get vaccinated?
There are a variety of reasons. Concerns over vaccine safety and side effects are the fault of governments around the world pausing vaccinations for infinitesimal side-effect risks on the principle of an “abundance of caution”, rather than taking a “balance of risk” approach, while the media carried scare reports of deaths after vaccination, which exaggerated their occurrence. It didn’t help that French President Emmanuel Macron early on threw shade at the AstraZeneca vaccine, irresponsibly and incorrectly. All this led to understandable hesitancy.
Yet the benefits of the Covid-19 vaccines are overwhelmingly positive, as the experience of highly vaccinated countries is showing. Everyone ought to be lining up to get their jabs.
Our family is fully vaccinated, and we confirm the experience of writers to these pages that the process is simple, friendly and efficient. There is really no excuse for not getting the jabs, but many remain “hesitant”.
Those who are unvaccinated have a simple choice: get vaccinated! It’s free, easy and effective. Or take the risk. Wear a mask if you wish. But do not expect those of us who are vaccinated to keep wearing masks because you refuse a simple and effective vaccination. Why should we who have done the right thing have to keep considering those who refuse to do the same? This move could boost our vaccination rate.
The world has vaccinated 1.4 billion people. It’s high time hesitant Hongkongers get the jabs.
Peter Forsythe, Discovery Bay
RELATED: Government hesitancy about pushing vaccinations is costing Hong Kong. Mike Rowse
