Worth A Shot?

Ever since its first reported case late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the entire world into a state of crisis. With multiple lockdowns worldwide, political conflicts and the death of countless individuals across the globe, people were desperate to finally escape the virus’ wrath.

Even back home, we see the effects of COVID run rampant. Many businesses are suffering major losses, while the issue of ‘financial instability’ has become a common topic of concern. Now, a breakthrough vaccine has been developed, but is the public ready to receive it?

Vaccine? We don’t know her.

In light of the vaccines’ arrivals to Singapore, many have voiced their concerns and skepticism. With a staggering 1 in 4 Singaporeans falsely believing in the vaccines’ ability to alter one’s DNA (3), some were quick to dismiss the administration of such a dangerous substance into their person. Such conspiracy theories have left the public with lukewarm sentiments, surveys showing only 55% of Singaporeans willing to take it (2).

But that’s not all. The elderly, who have been reported to be more susceptible to the deadly virus, are similarly more likely to fall for such false claims and theories, further complicating Singapore’s efforts to eradicate COVID from its grounds.

Groundbreaking Discovery or Ungrounded Findings?

Currently, the efficacy of the vaccines available in Singapore vary, and said vaccines themselves are still undergoing testing. Sinovac, one of the vaccines, only has an efficacy rate of 78%, and even so, still requires more data to gain conclusive results. Others, such as Pfizer-BioNTech, do show more promising results, yet had reported cases of anaphylaxis (7) (a severe allergic reaction). However, it is important to note that such cases are extremely rare, with only 21 out of over 1.8 million vaccines administered (11.1 cases per million).

Regardless, this fear of the unknown greatly exacerbates our distrust towards a new and foreign medical procedure. Hence, it is highly understandable that many are skeptical over the clouded results of these new vaccines. After all, Singapore has been managing the situation relatively well, with proper guidelines and rules imposed to minimise the spread.

With such safety already provided by these precautions, there is even less incentive to take on the vaccine. Why risk it?

And that’s not the only worry people are having when it comes to this newfound vaccine. What about logistics costs? There have been numerous reports regarding high transport and storage fees, mainly due to the strict temperatures the vaccines must be kept under. The aforementioned Pfizer-BioNTech must be maintained under -70℃ (4), and the facilities required do not come cheap. Providing vaccination for the whole country would certainly place a burden on Singapore’s already strained healthcare budgets. In such trying times, some feel that it would be better to provide the short term aid our economy needs before the vaccines’ success is set in stone.

Make no mistake, it is proper conduct to be skeptical of anything without any concrete scientific data, lest you may risk one’s safety. However, while it is normal to be hesitant in trusting such newly-released vaccines, reluctance due to a fear of something with significantly low risk of harm has often resulted in dire consequences. A known example is ‘Measles’, a potentially life-threatening virus often found in children. Measles was once thought to be eliminated from the United States all the way back in the 2000s. Yet, cases have begun reappearing in neighborhoods and communities, and a resurgence of this “supposed-eradicated” virus is back.

Reported in conjunction with the re-emergence of measles were the drop in vaccine rates for children (5). Such is due to the rise in Anti-vaccine (anti-vaxx) movements protesting against the administration of vaccines to young children due to fears of irreversible side-effects.

These movements unfortunately caught attention, and fewer parents vaccinated their children, putting them at a high risk of catching the virus. In 2019, there were 1282 cases of measles reported in America (6), the highest since 1992. What was decades worth of work has been undone and has resulted in the endangering of numerous children. Most of the resistance towards vaccines during that period of time was due to the unjustified, blown-up worry of contracting undesirable side-effects of the vaccine which was truly what made the resurgence of Measles such a tragedy.

Our last shot

Even now, many worry that the COVID-19 vaccine might result in similar negative side-effects. Nonetheless, some still hold onto their utilitarian goals. Coined by Jeremy Bentham, utilitarianism states that 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation'. The aforementioned proponent of utilitarianism argues that we should make choices that benefit the most number of people to maximise our happiness. Amidst this virus outbreak, ‘happiness’ may seem to refer to ensuring our safety from COVID-19. This may have been why some Singaporeans are still receptive towards the vaccine.

In a recent article by Channel News Asia (CNA, Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen mentioned that raising the number of individuals that are immune to the virus can help us achieve herd immunity (8). This protects entire communities (including those not immune to the virus) against COVID-19 as one person being vaccinated could translate into saving the lives of many more which is a benefit that greatly offsets some of the many risks that it might entail (1).

A vaccine may very well be the answer to eradication of a virus which has long overstayed its welcome; but not all of us are willing to hastily gamble with their own safety in the midst of a crisis where one’s health is of utmost importance. Nonetheless, be it implementing short term or long term strategies, or making choices with low or high risks, our goal remains the same. Eradicate this virus and recuperate from the damage left from it. A vaccine just happens to be one of the quickest ways to do so.

Written by Jamie Khoo Z.Y., Wong Yi Xuan, Poh En Xi and Martha Soetedjo

Bibliography:

1. National Geographic Society. (2019, May 15). Herd Immunity: Strength in Numbers. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/herd-immunity-strength-numbers/

2. Guan, Z. (2020, December 24). NTU survey: 55% of respondents willing to get Covid-19 vaccine when available in S'pore. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://mothership.sg/2020/12/singapore-covid-19-vaccine-survey/

3. A. (2020, December 24). Around 1 in 4 Singapore residents surveyed believe false claim that Covid-19 vaccine alters DNA. The Straits Times. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/around-one-in-four-singapore-residents-surveyed-believe-false-claim-about-covid-19-vaccine

4. What you should know about the COVID-19 vaccine. (2020, December 30). Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.gov.sg/article/what-you-should-know-about-the-covid-19-vaccine

5. Pilkington, E. (2019, November 16). US states saw drop in vaccine rates for children as anti-vaxx theories spread. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/16/vaccines-measles-mumps-polio-hepatitis-b

6. C. (2020, December 02). Measles Cases and Outbreaks. Retrieved January 12, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html

7. Allergic Reactions Including Anaphylaxis After Receipt of the First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine — United States, December 14–23, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 6 January 2021. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7002e1

8. Mahmud, A. (2021, January 21). COVID-19 vaccinations begin for Singapore Armed Forces personnel. Retrieved January 24, 2021, from https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-vaccine-saf-active-forces-mindef-14010488