THE granting of certain privileges to those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, which has earned the government criticism for being discriminatory, is the norm in several countries.

There is no other way to compel people who refuse the vaccine without medical reasons, except for civil servants and military personnel who face disciplinary action, including sacking, if they refuse the shots.

For the general population, however, the vaccine mandate comes in the form of denying the unvaccinated or partially vaccinated dine-in privileges, interstate travel, hotel stays, shopping at clothing stores at malls and entry to entertainment outlets such as cinemas, among other activities.

When this prompted a backlash from those refusing the vaccine without medical reasons, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin was pushed to say he would make their lives “difficult” if they did not get themselves vaccinated.

His approach, which is deemed heavy-handed by certain quarters, has earned him the label of a bully.

Doctors are also calling out those who are vaccine hesitant to get inoculated, reminding them of their social responsibility. They said when it comes to a public health threat, vaccination is not an infringement of their civil rights.

The Malaysian Insight takes a closer look at vaccine mandates in other countries and their similarities with Malaysia, which, to date, has vaccinated more than 70% of its entire population and 94% of its adult population.

Singapore

Malaysia’s southern neighbour on October 13 required proof of Covid-19 vaccination before entering places such as shopping malls and offices.

The new mandate comes as the island state with a population of 5.9 million people experiences a new resurgence of Covid-19 infections, with cases now at 3,000 daily.

It has so far vaccinated 82% of its population.

Indonesia

Indonesia has a tougher stance on vaccination, with fines of up to US$474 (RM1,970) for those refuse the jabs in the capital of Jakarta.

The fourth-most populous country in the world with more than 270 million people has also made Covid-19 vaccination mandatory since February, by way of other sanctions, such as suspension of welfare aid or delay of access to certain public services.

Despite rolling out its vaccination programme in mid-January, progress has been slow with only 23% of its population fully inoculated.

Saudi Arabia

The Gulf nation made it mandatory for anyone wishing to enter government buildings, schools and events or use public transport and air travel to be fully vaccinated.

Those who wish to perform the umrah pilgrimage also need to show proof of vaccination. So far, the haj is only opened to fully vaccinated residents.

The United States

On September 10, President Joe Biden said federal employees must get vaccinated while mandating employers to make sure their employees are vaccinated or subjected to weekly tests.

Several days after Biden’s announcement, New York City announced that it will require proof of vaccination from customers and staff at restaurants, gyms and other indoor businesses.

It also mandated its state employees to either get vaccinated or get tested on a weekly basis.

New Zealand

New Zealand says it will soon require most of its healthcare workers and teachers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

A vaccine mandate announced on October 11 compels doctors, pharmacists, community nurses and other healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated by December.

Teachers and other workers in the education sector must be fully vaccinated by January.

The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has made it compulsory for health and care sector workers to be fully vaccinated or risk being relegated to back-office roles.

Europe

The Italian government has mandated that all government employees must show proof of vaccination with a certificate.

From October 15, those who fail to do so will be suspended without pay for up to five days.

In the Netherlands, citizens must show a health pass to enter places such as bars, restaurants and theatres.

France has approved a bill to make the vaccine mandatory for all healthcare workers. It will impose a penalty on business owners who do not check customers’ health passes before allowing them in.

Social responsibility

Dr Tan Toh Leong, associate professor and consultant emergency physician at Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM, said while the government has not made it mandatory for people to take the vaccine, people should be responsible citizens and take it nonetheless.

“The government has labelled Covid-19 as a public health threat and everyone should play their part. Your social responsibility is a must when it comes to a national threat and a world threat,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

“This is a disease that can be transmitted from you to others; we are a weapon to spread the disease. Taking the vaccine is a trade-off to live as a responsible citizen and provide a safe environment for your loved ones. The jab doesn’t cost anything.”

Tan, who treats Covid-19 patients, said looking at the death rate, it clearly shows that the vaccines are effective in reducing fatalities and admissions to the intensive care unit.

“Just look at Sarawak. The efficacy rate of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which is six months, is waning, leading to more cases in the state. But prior to that, the vaccine successfully brought down the death rate and cases in the state,” he said.

“If we continue to go down this path (refusing the vaccine), we may end up with another lockdown and the economy cannot withstand this.”

For those who say taking the vaccines do not prevent one from contracting the virus, Tan said it is just like wearing a seat belt.

“You can still get into an accident if you wear a seat belt, but it could be the difference between life and death,” he said.

On the argument about vaccine allergies, Tan said it is only in rare instances that an individual is allergic to vaccines.

“There is a protocol in place by the Ministry of Health for doctors to screen people at the vaccination centres,” he said.

“Before getting the vaccine, we will always ask for a history of allergies. Firstly, we will ask if you have a history of allergies to non-Covid vaccines, especially flu jabs, pneumococcal jabs.

“Secondly, any history of anaphylaxis (breathing difficulties) to various different drug classes such as painkillers, antibiotics or other medications.

“Thirdly, we will ask if you suffer anaphylaxis from injectable drugs or substances and whether you have a history of idiopathic allergies, where you don’t know the cause.

“If either one of these questions is a ‘yes’, we will consider giving you the Sinovac vaccine. Sinovac doesn’t have any inorganic solvent; it is safest for people with any of these conditions.”

If an allergy presents itself after the first dose of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine, Tan said they will be given a different brand as a second dose, usually Sinovac as well.

“If they are allergic to Sinovac, we will give the single-dose Janssen or CanSino vaccine. If you have an allergy to Jannsen or CanSino, no problem, they are single dose and you don’t have to take another shot,” he said.

Tan said there are many ways to counter the claim of allergies for not taking the shot.

“There are now more vaccine brands so allergies are not a reason not to get the jab,” he said.

“Those who claim to be allergic, unless you have been admitted to the ICU due to the vaccine, you can still take other alternatives.” – October 24, 2021.