Don’t force people to take booster shots

 

I just watched a video clip which I thought was funny but at the same time indicative of the frustration felt by many Malaysians.

An elderly gentleman, in a message for health minister Khairy Jamaluddin, says he has already taken the third dose and hopes there will be no necessity for a fourth or fifth dose. In the event that he is asked to take a fourth dose, he wants to go one-on-one with Khairy.

If he loses the punch-up, he says he will take the fourth booster jab but if he wins, he wants Khairy to ensure that his MySejahtera states he’s fully vaccinated.

The voices against booster shots are increasing. Some say their family members or friends who had taken the booster shot suffered bad side-effects, much more than that suffered after taking the second Pfizer jab.

Others note that there seems to be an “increase” in the number of people dying of heart attacks, although health authorities insist this is not due to the vaccine but to underlying medical conditions of those who died.

Some are concerned about mixing vaccines for booster shots as recommended by the health ministry. They note that some countries, such as India, are telling their people to take the same vaccine they took for the first two doses and not mix them.

The government did not make Covid-19 vaccination mandatory in Malaysia but, just like many other countries, it devised a clever way to force everyone to get a vaccination.

If you do not have two doses of the vaccine, you are not considered fully vaccinated. If you are fully vaccinated you get to enjoy certain privileges such as interstate travel and entry into such places as offices, shopping centres and eateries.

How many of us can stay without going out, at least once in a while, to eat or shop or enter a government office to get something done? How many of us can stay without visiting relatives or friends in other districts or states?

Last week we heard that fake vaccination certificates were in demand. A report in FMT said this month alone, police busted clinics selling fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates in Selangor, Johor, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu.

The report said 5,601 patients had been registered as vaccine recipients in just one clinic in Selangor and that another clinic, in Terengganu, had issued 1,900 fake certificates.

I don’t condone the issuing of fake vaccination certificates but I think the health authorities should dive into the reason why this is happening. They should not be satisfied with punishing the doctors or whoever else – that is just touching the surface of the problem, not resolving it.

The question is this: Why do simple people, most of whom will not get involved in illegal activities, seek fake certificates? And why are a few doctors – who have much to lose if they get caught – complicit in this?

Could it be because these people want to continue enjoying interstate travel and all the other benefits that come with being fully vaccinated? Could it be because they are not convinced about the benefits of vaccination? Could it be because there are too many different versions about the vaccines out there and they are confused? Could it be because they are frightened about how the vaccines will affect them five or 10 years down the line?

Last month, the health ministry said those who had received two Sinovac doses or who were above 60 years of age had to get a booster shot or they won’t be recognised as being fully vaccinated.

Khairy said this was because of the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

“As such, individuals in the mentioned groups — all recipients who have completed their dose of the Sinovac vaccine and those above the age of 60, irrespective of their primary vaccine type — will need to take a booster dose by February 2022 to maintain their full vaccination status.

“If not, their MySejahtera status will turn white, which indicates that you are not fully vaccinated,’’ he was quoted as saying in the media.

What this means is that this group of people will not be able to travel outside their states or enter offices, eateries, shopping centres and such again.

Is Khairy taking such a tough stance because he does not want to suffer the same image damage as his predecessor who was criticised for his handling of the Coivid-19 pandemic?

I can understand why the health ministry is pushing the booster doses, especially since the latest studies by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that a third dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine is significantly more effective in preventing severe Covid-19 from the Omicron variant than the primary doses alone.

But health officials should realise that those who speak up against vaccination or booster shots are not necessarily anti-vaxxers. They are just concerned about their health and the health of their family members.

Some of those who spoke to me were unhappy that they were not only “forced” to be vaccinated but also “forced” to take responsibility if anything were to happen to them. They noted that they were forced to sign a consent form before being inoculated.

One of them asked: “If I have to take full responsibility, why don’t you allow me to decide if I want a booster shot or not? If the government and the pharmaceutical firms have so much confidence in the vaccines, why don’t they take responsibility for anything that may happen to me?”

I had no answer to this.

I think the health ministry should take cognisance of the feelings of the people and respect their rights while also keeping the larger infection picture in mind and initiating precautionary and control measures. Perhaps it should frequently brainstorm with medical associations, including the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Association Malaysia, and citizen groups.

Persuasion is still the best way to get the full cooperation of the people. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.