Why many Asian countries are wary of vaccines

Photographer: Chan Long Hei / Bloomberg

The countries that set up fastest social distancing and contact detection systems have mostly kept Covid-19 in check, but their citizens are now finding that they are getting the shots needed to end a pandemic that has devastated millions of lives.

Governments from Japan and Australia to Hong Kong and South Korea take their time before granting regulatory approvals for vaccines, in stark contrast to Western countries that have rushed to vaccinate populations.

That cautious approach may seem strange in light of the urgency to resume normal life, but low infection rates mean that Asian governments can wait to see how the unprecedented vaccinations play out elsewhere. Yet the strategy runs the risk of leaving them economically disadvantaged against places that fight childbirth but drive up the vaccination.

In New Zealand, which has the best location on Bloomberg The main opposition party has asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to explain why the country has “fallen behind the rest of the world with its vaccination program”, according to the Covid Resilience ranking of the major economies that best fought the pandemic. In South Korea, an editorial in the Hankyoreh newspaper said “we can not forever ask people to stop their daily lives and endure the economic pain.”

But officials are defending their pace as a safer approach and one they deserve. “It’s not bad to sit back and see how others are doing,” said Lam Ching-choi, a medical doctor and a member of the Executive Council who advises Hong Kong’s leader. . “I am completely sympathetic to the fact that they do not have the luxury and must do so in the fastest way to kill the epidemic.”

Precursors

Top 10 countries with the fastest Covid vaccination

Source: Bloomberg’s Covid-19 vaccine detection from 18:00 EST on January 13

Hong Kong, which currently reports several dozen Covid-19 cases daily and has a total death toll of 161 since the pandemic began, has not yet approved a single vaccine as it awaits more detailed clinical trial data ahead of a planned vaccination trip February.

Australia, which closed its border to non-residents when the pandemic began, and imposed strict closures when cases occur, expects to receive the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE were developed by the end of January and the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine will be approved next month, with shots also starting in February.

In contrast, the US and the UK have already done so delivered a total of 14 million shots in total after speedy approvals last month, while Israel delivered 2 million doses or 22 shots per 100 people.

Vaccination

Asian officials and health experts remain anxious because it will be used for the first time mRNA technology for vaccines, which instructs the human body to produce proteins that then develop protective antibodies. It is also the first global vaccination attempt to be made so quickly.

Although millions of jabs were received without incident, there were allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock and incidents such as the death of a health worker 16 days after receiving the Pfizer shot, although a link has not been established.

“This extra time will enable the countries to learn from the experience of countries that started spreading,” said Adam Taylor, a virologist at Griffith University in Australia. “The more information you have about the distribution process and the safety of the vaccines, the more confidence you have in your own implementation. The technology used for the Pfizer and Modern vaccines has never been used by humans before, and although safety looks good, the more data the better. ‘

Some countries are concerned about the fact that pharmaceutical companies have gained legal immunity in quick negotiations. South Korean Health Minister Park Neunghoo said countries had been forced into “unfair contracts” with these companies because of the “incomprehensible” nature of the pandemic. Seoul plans to deliver shots in February.

More than 32.4 million shots: Covid-19 vaccine detection

“It is almost universal around the world that extended immunity from liability is being demanded from companies,” Park said at a recent press briefing, pointing out that Korean officials need time to thoroughly examine the safety data, as companies do not have responsibility will not accept for any accidents. . “Vaccinating populations before we identify risks is not so necessary for us.”

Herd immunity

Such statements may not fit well with the citizens of Asian economies affected by the virus before the West, and therefore they wore masks for almost a full year, stayed at home and adhered to the strict social distance rules.

“Everyone is trying to survive and I think they should get the vaccines as soon as possible for the people who are comfortable taking them,” said Aron Harilela, chairman of Harilela Hotels Ltd. and former chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. “You can continue to worry about making the wrong decision, but the whole world is taking vaccines, because all economies will be on their knees if we do not open up.”

In New Zealand, which closed its border early and eliminated the virus, opposition was critical of the country’s slow vaccination timeline, citing a global revival of the virus and the emergence of more transmissible variants. The launch of New Zealand is expected to begin in the second half of 2021.

Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson denied that the country was merely ‘polite, ”and said that other countries with rising death tolls are preferred. “We are doing everything possible to get the vaccines here as soon as possible,” Robertson told NewstalkZB this week.

Extensive rollout

Another reason for progressing more slowly than desperate Western nations is that they do not want the public’s confidence in the vaccines to be undermined, which could jeopardize the ability of a sufficient percentage of the population for immunity with herds. ent, endanger.