The Secretary of Civil Service, Nie Dequan, pointed out on Sunday (29th) that the Delta variant of the new coronavirus is highly contagious, and 70% of the vaccination rate is difficult to establish an immune barrier. Hong Kong should aim for universal vaccination.
He said that the government will not rule out the establishment of a healthy passage system or restricting citizens to be vaccinated before entering designated premises, and will try to facilitate the vaccinations for the elderly.
In the face of the decline in scheduled vaccination, the government should not only increase restrictions to break through the bottleneck, but also induce it to benefit by proposing a blueprint for facilitating the lives of citizens to provide motivation for vaccination.
At present, the elderly and the infirm may be discouraged from vaccination due to health concerns. Younger, healthier citizens should be more considerate of others and be vaccinated as soon as possible.
For many citizens, the resumption of customs clearance is a major motivation for vaccination.
Chief Executive Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor mentioned in mid-July that one of the two conditions for customs clearance between Hong Kong and the Mainland is that the vaccination rate is at least 70%.
However, the Delta variant virus is raging around the world and is extremely easily contagious. In addition, political news indicates that the mainland may only consider resuming customs clearance after the Winter Olympics next year. At this stage, customs clearance hopes are greatly reduced.
If the government has not made major changes in its anti-epidemic policy, people may feel that their lives will not change drastically in the short term.
Anti-epidemic roadmap can provide incentives
Nie Dequan revealed at this time that the government does not rule out increasing the living restrictions for those who have not been vaccinated, which can make them afraid of being "limited" and change their minds.
However, in addition to imposing restrictions, the government can also start by relaxing, so that the public can feel the benefits of widespread vaccination.
But when Nie Dequan talked about the future direction, he couldn't tell why. He only said in general terms, "It's not a mechanical look, you can do anything at a few percent, but always look at the risk assessment." It can't act as an incentive.
The Secretary for Civil Service, Nie Dequan, said that the government will plan to extend the vaccination center until the end of October, but emphasized that the public should not delay any longer and should get vaccinated as soon as possible.
(Photo by Zhang Haowei)
Although the epidemic situation is constantly changing and hard-setting targets may give the public false hopes, if the road map is not relaxed, the public will not know when they will return to normal, and they will not have the motivation to follow the government's vaccination call.
With the road map in place, citizens know that vaccination has feedback. For example, as the overall vaccination rate increases, the government will relax restrictions on dine-in food and outdoor gatherings, etc., which will naturally attract citizens to get vaccinated.
In the event that the epidemic takes a turn for the worse, of course society will not support reluctant relaxation.
Examples of linking epidemic prevention measures to vaccination rates are seen in Singapore and Australia.
Singapore’s Health Minister Wang Yikang said that when 80% of the population is fully vaccinated, the economy will be further restarted, including the expected residents to leave the country without quarantine in September.
At the beginning of this month, the Australian government announced a four-stage national epidemic transition plan. The country is currently in the first stage. The second and third stages are 70% and 80% respectively. In the third stage, the lockdown will only target high-risk areas. Will be exempt from domestic and overseas restrictions.
The fourth stage is to restore the movement of foreign population.
The vaccination rate of all age groups in Hong Kong.
Vaccination for yourself, for people, for medical treatment
The above mentioned is the overall promotion of vaccination strategy, and the promoter is mainly the government, but the anti-epidemic also depends on the initiative of the society.
At present, the rate of vaccination among local elderly is relatively low. The proportion of people aged 70 to 79 is about 35%, and only 11.3% are aged 80 or above.
Compared with developed regions, the proportion of vaccinations among the elderly in Hong Kong is lower than that of the United Kingdom, Singapore and Australia.
This is believed to be because the elderly are worried about the side effects of the vaccine. Even if medical care, social workers or family members assist in the explanation, it is believed that the elderly and the frail people will still be discouraged and even really not suitable for vaccination.
In this regard, citizens must understand that injections are not only to protect themselves, but also to protect others.
The vaccination rate for middle-aged and young people is currently over 60% to 70%. In fact, there is still room for improvement as a commitment to those who are not suitable for injections.
Even if the concept of herd immunity does not exist anymore, simply reducing symptoms and hospitalization rates is the key rationale for vaccination in all walks of life.
In the event of an outbreak, the pressure on the hospital can also be reduced, leaving medical resources for the new crown and other seriously ill patients.
The local epidemic situation is stable. Some people may use this as an excuse not to vaccinate, but in fact, this is the time for society to buy time to increase the vaccination rate.
Officials have the responsibility of leading all walks of life to fight the epidemic. Hong Kong people can also think of others, vaccinate for the frail and explain to those who have not been vaccinated, and build a social protection network.
Xinggang travel bubbles disillusioned. "Clear to zero" should not be a slogan. Overseas immigration measures should not conflict with the target of "Zero to zero." Entry epidemic prevention must be scientific and objective.