[From Sept 2021. In draft and not previously published. It is a little incomplete, but I forgot what was the last point I wanted to make. And it's not really germane at this point in time.]
So the Singapore Govt has decided (at this time, end Sept 2021) that there is no need to mandate Covid-19 Vaccination.
Because, we have already achieved more than 80% vaccination rate, and this should be sufficient for herd immunity; this should be sufficient for us to try to live with Covid.
Because, mandating vaccination to try to force the anti-vaxxers (and yes, I am going to call them "anti-vaxxers", because calling them "vaccine-hesitant" or "vaccine-resistant" is just putting lipstick on a pig. Those that are truly hesitant has had sufficient time to make up their minds, and no, the "time's up" is not of my making or my impatience. The delay in protecting everyone is allowing the virus a chance to mutate with every infection, and with every mutation, there is a chance of a new "variant of concern" to emerge.) to get vaccinated will lead to a battle of wills.
And at the end of the battle, the anti-vaxxers will still be anti-vaxxers, but at the most, we would have forcibly vaccinated them. For some small increase in community protection.
That we do not, at this time, really need.
And the anti-vaxxers will likely find new ways to block the mandate or delay the vaccination, and it would just be a lot of trouble, a lot of work, a lot of tracking, a lot of administrative work, and a lot of logistics, to get them to comply with the mandate, for very little results.
So we will let them be.
(Tho some experts think vaccinations should be mandatory. At least for those over 60. And the US (CDC) has approved booster shots for those over 65, and those with underlying medical conditions, and those in nursing homes.)
Previously, I had blogged about how some of the fears about vaccines were distorted or exaggerated or misrepresented. There is is little point in going through the various conspiracy theories, and random accusations thrown without evidence (or with spurious "evidence") at vaccines.
I would like to take a different approach.
Not that I think this approach would be any more effective (at persuading the anti-vaxxers). This is not the purpose of this blog piece.
Rather, I thought I'd try to cover what seems to be the question or issue that is keeping them from vaccination
The big picture. Or the grand conspiracy.
The grand conspiracy theory is a suspicion that all this is NOT real, and the "pandemic" is just a fake "bogeyman" to scare us into taking the vaccine.
In Singapore where as of this writing (24/9/2021), there have 70 deaths from Covid. Out of a population of 5.7m people. That's 12 deaths per million people. It is entirely likely that you do not personally know any of the people who have succumbed to the virus.
With 14,000 cases per million, about 1.4% of people were actually infected. That's 1.4 persons in a hundred. So chances are, you may also not know anyone personally who was infected by the virus. And many of of these patients had mild or even no symptoms. Which further raises (your) suspicion that it is not a real disease. That it is probably the flu in most case, and in some cases serious flu. That is sometimes fatal. One 2006 study found that the number of deaths associated with influenza was almost 600 in a year.
So Singapore's remarkable efforts at preventing infections and deaths from Covid, actually works in favour of this conspiracy theory.
So, with 70 deaths (so far) over 18 months, it would seem like Covid-19 is only about 1/10 as deadly.
[The figure was 76 by end of 26/9.]
Except that with the flu, we do not have measures like wearing masks, circuit-breakers, and vaccinating over 80% of the population.
If we did not have these safeguards and preventive measures, the death rates from Covid would be a lot higher. Just look at Malaysia (680 deaths per million population), and Indonesia (505 deaths per million population). We could be like them if we did not have proper safeguards and preventative measures. Our death rate from Covid is 10 per million population.
For a whole year, until late July this year (2021), we had held deaths from Covid-19 to 36.
Then in late July, one more death. Then a slew of deaths in August. And it's the second half of Sept (as I write this) and total deaths have reached 70 [78 as at 26/9] last I checked. More than 30 deaths from Covid-19 in 8 weeks.
Because of the Delta variant. [Assuming all the deaths since late July was due to the Delta variant, it has accounted for 42 deaths as at 26 Sept.]
The Delta variant changes the risk assessment of vaccination and non-vaccination. Or rather, I think it should, but some people are (still) not taking the Delta variant seriously.
Or still "assessing" the risk by the original Covid.
And thinking that they can be safe without vaccination?
Costs/ Follow the money.
If you engage with Anti-vaxxers, one of their main "concern" is the fraud of it all. As I explain above, the chances are, you do not personally know anyone who has gotten sick from Covid-19 (the infection rate by population is less than 2 per 100). This allows anti-vaxxers to claim that Covid-19 is a hoax. It's not real. There is no virus and no pandemic.
So if there is NO virus, then there is no NEED for a vaccine.
Which brings us to the second "concern": The vaccine does not (need) to work, and it is just a money-making ploy by the pharmaceutical company. The rapid and miraculous development of the vaccine is also a matter of suspicion - vaccine development usually take years or even decades. And the need for booster shots just add to the "evidence" that this is a money-grab.
So you (the anti-vaxxer) can convince yourself that this is all a hoax and conspiracy.
And so, the Anti-vaxxers don't need to worry.
For now.
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