‘MAKE MANDATORY RULE A LAST RESORT’
All avenues must be exhausted to get people to register for vaccination, says Lee
MANDATORY vaccination should be a last resort if the number of inoculation registrations does not add up to the level necessary to achieve herd immunity.
Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said before making it compulsory, all avenues must be exhausted to get people registered, as well as to allay fears that had been fanned by unverified reports of adverse effects from the inoculation.
“I still maintain that voluntary registration for vaccination is still the ideal situation, as it reflects the free will of the people to stand united to defeat Covid-19.
“The best way to allay the fears is to engage, educate and encourage the people to register for vaccination,” he said yesterday.
Lee said this could be done through constant and consistent well-articulated messages that are disseminated quickly and judiciously to the public.
He said authorities should share information quickly and in full, thus winning public confidence.
“Building trust is vital to ensure the success of the immunisation drive,” he added.
He suggested that traditional media play a pivotal role by running an advice column where authoritative medical personnel could address concerns that readers raise daily.
This, he added, would lead to a robust public discussion that would soon underlie the need for safe, quick and comprehensive solutions and ensure that everybody was on the same page in eradicating the pandemic.
Lee noted that less than 10 per cent of the population have registered for vaccines, and the country could achieve herd immunity only by vaccinating 70 per cent of the population.
“This is an appeal to the rest to quickly register so that they, and the rest of us, can have a reasonable chance of returning to our old way of life, which we have been missing for more than a year now.
“Not only that, but we also want to continue with good, healthy lives for ourselves, our families, our friends and our communities.”
He said while there had been some reluctance due to concerns over the safety and side effects of available vaccines, unprecedented levels of precaution have been taken including testing and documentation.
“We must all, therefore, strike while the iron is hot. It will take more effort, time, energy and uncertainty to produce the same result as when the iron is hot.
“We must avoid alarmists and win over the anti-vaxxers.”