IT is good news that the Covid-19 vaccination rollout has been accelerated in recent weeks. However, there is an urgent need for the government to change some of the policies in order to reduce further lost of lives and livelihoods.
Many have perished due to excessive restrictions and quarantines. There are still many who are reluctant to be vaccinated. One of the ways to encourage more people to come forward is to provide incentives.
For example, fully vaccinated travellers returning to Malaysia from overseas, with the exception of a number of countries that are on the red list, could be home quarantined or not at all, provided they do not have symptoms.
The UK has long required most travellers returning back to self-isolate at home. They have now changed their strategies based on latest information. There will be no quarantine for those who have been fully vaccinated, provided they have not visited any of the countries on their red list.
If too many people are restricted unnecessarily, the diminished workforce of the country will affect the economy further. Unnecessary quarantines can also lead to anxiety, depression and other social ills.
Some of the policies in Malaysia are still based on old evidence. There is an urgent need to review them. One recent official health report published in the UK revealed that the rate of someone contracting Covid-19 after full vaccination is low, around 0.13%. Common sense tells us that the possibility of them transmitting the disease must be even lower.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the risk of being infected after full vaccination is around 0.08%. Out of 75 million Americans vaccinated, only 5,800 tested positive for the virus. More importantly, the risk of them transmitting the virus is even lower. Therefore, it is important to find a balance between managing livelihoods and deaths due to Covid.
Immunity against the virus is extremely good three weeks after full vaccination. It is logical to allow people who have been fully vaccinated to quarantine at home.
Malaysians are more likely to think positively of a government who is willing to change strategies based on logical reasons and updated evidence. This is an opportunity for the government to score favourable points with the people. Prolonged and unnecessary quarantines would only cause more public resentment.
Another incentive is to allow fully vaccinated individuals to make permissible trips between districts if they do not show any symptoms, instead of going to police stations to apply for travel permits. This will save time and minimise the potential risk of contracting the virus. The same principle can be applied to allow vaccinated individuals to dine in restaurants or return to their workplace.
Vaccination is the only way to prevent excessive bodies from piling up. It is hard to regulate people behaviour. This is especially true for places like Sabah and Kelantan where the vaccine rollout is slow. These are the states which are vulnerable without vaccines.
Rolling out vaccines as quickly as possible and providing incentives for people who have been inoculated will help, and this has to be done urgently if we are to avoid more tsunamis in other parts of Malaysia.
Indonesia is a clear example for us to learn from and we need to act quickly. Reducing unnecessary red tape for private clinics in delivering vaccines is another urgent matter that needs to be addressed.
Many private clinics have offered to assist but there are apparently too much red tape, which is slowing down the process. Mobile units are necessary in order to vaccinate as many factory and construction workers, and undocumented migrants. Many of these workers and migrants are more likely to transmit the virus to others as they may not be able to practise strict social distancing measures.
Mobile teams should go from factory to factory. I am sure bosses would line up their workers to be vaccinated if they are told only vaccinated workers are allowed to work. Even if only 50% of the workers are vaccinated, it would still buy time for hospitals in the Klang Valley to reorganise their resources. This is a race against time.
Many deaths can be avoided with the right policies. By taking a few steps and changing policies swiftly, I believe the government will have a better chance to curb the spread, bring down death rates and at the same time lift the people’s spirits.
The country desperately needs more good news. My appeal to the public is not to miss vaccine appointments. Accept any vaccine that is provided. Some protection is better than none at all.
There is supporting evidence to show that 90% to 96% of fully vaccinated individuals do not suffer severely from Covid infection. If a vast majority of infected individuals are not severely ill or hospitalised, we can eventually learn to live with the virus. Your decision to get vaccinated will help save lives, jobs and the country.
We are at war with this virus, and Malaysia can and must win this war.
Dr Kenneth Wu is a Consultant Nephrologist & Physician in Sabah. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
