COVID-19 vaccine stirs rare hesitation in Singapore, which is almost virus-free

* Singapore has Asia’s first Pfizer vaccine

* Poll: 48% are vaccinated, 34% wait 6-12 months

* Singapore reports almost zero local cases every day

* Singapore Prime Minister takes a jab to show safety

Singapore, December 23 (Reuters)-When Singapore is preparing to launch COVID-19 vaccination, its remarkable success in controlling the virus raises the question of whether they should take jabs. ..

In city-states with generally high compliance with authorities, some Singaporeans are at risk, even with minimal potential side effects, if daily cases are near zero and the number of deaths is the lowest in the world. I’m afraid it’s not worth it.

“Singapore is doing pretty well,” said Aishwariya Kris, who is in his 40s and doesn’t want a shot.

“I don’t think the vaccine is of any use.”

In a poll in early December by the local newspaper The Straits Times, 48% of respondents said they would be vaccinated when the vaccine became available, and 34% said they would wait 6-12 months. ..

But the government is eager to open up more economies with the help of vaccines in countries that rely on travel and trade and are preparing to host the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum next year. ..

“Singapore is a victim of its own success,” said Leon Honam, an infectious disease expert at Mount Elizabeth Hospital in the city.

To show that the vaccine is safe, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 68, said he and his colleagues would be among the early recipients of the shot.

They are free and voluntary and are first given to healthcare professionals and the elderly.

The first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrived this week, and Singapore expects all 5.7 million people to have sufficient vaccine by the third quarter of 2021.

According to experts, the threat of asymptomatic carriers and undetected infections remains in Singapore, highlighting the importance of vaccines.

“Responsible behavior”

Many Singaporeans said they were ready to take pictures, not only to prevent infection, but also in the hope that they could travel again. For others, it is a citizen’s duty.

“I go to work every day in my family, so I work responsibly,” said 39-year-old photographer Jeff Tan.

Singapore acted swiftly after the first case of the virus was reported, and although blinded by tens of thousands of cases in migrant worker dormitories, it caused the infection again.

Hsu Li Yang of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore said Singaporeans generally accept vaccines and consume nearly 90% of the major pediatric jabs.

However, there are concerns about new vaccines that use new technologies and have been rapidly developed and approved. It usually takes time to receive the vaccine, he said.

Even the three nurses said they didn’t want to vaccinate Reuters under anonymous conditions.

Singapore’s drug regulators have demonstrated that the data submitted by Pfizer-BioNTech meet the required safety, efficacy, and quality standards of the vaccine, and that its benefits outweigh the known risks. Later, he said he had given approval.

Pfizer vaccines have been deployed in the United Kingdom and the United States and are associated with some cases of severe allergic reactions. However, it does not reveal serious long-term side effects in clinical trials.

Sales manager John Han said he would like to wait for 80% of the population to be vaccinated without side effects.

“If you have the option given, I may not receive it. You can wear a mask to avoid safe and crowded areas,” said Han, 40. (Report by Chen Lin and Aradana Arabindan of Singapore, edited by Michael Perry)