THE prime minister is scheduled to announce the easing of movement restrictions for the fully vaccinated, allowing them to take part in sport activities, travel and dine out.

In June, national coordinating minister for immunisation Khairy Jamaluddin said, looking at the data, it is his view Covid-19 could very well become endemic.quite some time.

When will Covid 19 become endemic in our country? 

Until there is definite data that vaccines do block transmission and are effective against newer variants of the virus, it may be possible to eliminate the virus when enough people are vaccinated so that they can protect those who are not, contributing to herd immunity. A vaccine that is 90% effective at blocking transmission will need to reach at least 55% of the population to achieve temporary herd immunity as long as some social distancing measures — such as face masks and many people working from home — remain in place to keep transmission in check.

As infections continue to increase worldwide, and with so many people still susceptible, scientists still technically class it as in a pandemic phase for several reasons, including vaccine hesitancy and the emergence of new variants. 

Viruses, like the flu, mutate over time, meaning antibodies from a previous infection won’t provide protection for long. The only way to outrun the mutation is to have the countries in the world vaccinate as many of their citizens as possible. Unfortunately this is not happening in reality,

If there are no vaccines for children – Malaysia has approximately seven million in the age group 0 to 14 –  it means many more adults will need to be immunised.

And then there are our neighbours. If the neighbouring countries are not vaccinating their people and the populations are able to mix, the potential for new outbreaks remains. 

When will Malaysia reach the “safer” threshold?

To date, we have fully vaccinated 6.1 million, or 19% of the population of 32 million and given one dose to 12.8 million, or 40% of the population.

Upon this 40% completing their second dose, 59% of the population be fully vaccinated.

Is the country’s effort going to stall at this level? Apparently only four countries and territories –Gilbratar, Malta, Iceland and Cayman Island – out of approximately 214 in the whole world has achieved vaccination in excess of 70% to date. Thirty-six other countries have vaccinated  50% to 70% of their population while everyone else   50% including the UK and US. 

Meanwhile, the rapidly spreading Delta variant threatens to overwhelm the world.

Vaccine uptake has been affected by issues such as accessibility and unverified reports of difficulties signing up on MySejahtera, long waiting time, dispensation of empty syringes, people forbidden from to taking videos or photos of the vaccination process, changes in vaccine  brand availability and allocation and priority groups as signs of incompetence or mistakes on the part of government,
did influencedthe vaccine uptake. 

Opinions on vaccination range from those who accept it to those who are hesitant to those who are unequivocally opposed.

As the last group is apparently a tiny minority, communications should focus entirely on reaching the vaccine hesitant group as they are most likely to respond positively to intervention. Trying to persuade those who are opposed to vaccination is not a wise use of resources and it could possibly exaggerate to the problem.

Vaccine hesitancy has always been present even for vaccines that are now regularly prescribed such as that against for measles.

But it is also important to bear in mind that low vaccine uptake may not be due to vaccine hesitancy alone. 

Is the hesitancy due to limited knowledge or lack of accessible communication to them? Identifying the causes of vaccine hesitancy can help policymakers decide where to target their efforts. 

For this group, which tends to cluster geographically and culturally, could they be waiting to see how others will respond to the vaccine, lacking faith in the vaccine’s safety and trust in the government?

Get it right, and the government will build trust with a diverse group that ripples out into the local community. Neglect it and the opposite effect occurs.

The government’s one-size-fits-all approach will not work for the vaccine hesitant. The public has received information about the vaccines and vaccination efforts from multiple sources, including state and local governments, newspapers and community channels, physicians, and employers, among others. The messages can be conflicting, which helps to undermine vaccine confidence and trust in the program.

This group needs support to make the vaccination decision that is right for them. 

The country has a strong network of clinics and Klinik Kesihatan in almost every town, big or small in the country including states in the east coast of Malaysia and East Malaysia. The local communities in these places trusts and has built a relationship with the health practitioners in these clinics and Klinik Kesihatan. These practitioners know how to listen to the needs of the communities and tailor their messages in accordance to the health literacy and numeracy levels of the local population which will foster greater understanding and not outright refusal of the vaccines. 

Dedicate resources and technical assistance to these health practitioners across these states in conjunction with national campaigns so that rapid learning and ultimately increase vaccine acceptance at the local level and across the country. This approach will help the government to reach underserved communities and lift them up, which is essential as the pandemic disproportionately affects the low-income and rural folk.

Even though a number of signs now point to a future in which the transmission of this virus cannot be contained through herd immunity, vaccination and the speed at which it is done are still the only key to manage this pandemic.

As the virus continues to circulate, evolve, and reinfect, and the efficacy of existing vaccines against transmission falls below the herd-immunity threshold, even if we achieve herd immunity, it will be meaningless.

The government can only hope that by lifting restrictions for the fully vaccinated, it is not giving them misplaced confidence that the pandemic is over and that they are free to do what they want. 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in mid-April that the rapid drop in Covid-19 deaths in the UK was largely down to a three-month lockdown, not the vaccination programme, and that cases would rise once again when restrictions eased, which he still proceeded to allow, with more infections and more hospitalisations and deaths. 

But in Malaysia, people are receiving a different message about the pandemic, which is further obfuscated by the polarised political environment. 

Are we ready to accept more infections, hospitalisations and deaths with the relaxation of SOP for those who are fully vaccinated? – August 6, 2021.

* FLK reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.