I refer to the report, "To encourage take-up of Covid-19 vaccine, govt officials will go door-to-door to address concerns: Gan Kim Yong" (Jan 21). 

Regrettably, in the same report, the tone of the message by Education Minister Lawrence Wong was not helpful and would likely not assuage the public distrust of vaccines.

Mr Wong, co-chair of the Government’s Covid-19 task force, said that people who decline or do not book a slot for the vaccination when offered because they are still undecided must “accept the consequences” that if they change their minds later, a ready supply of vaccines may not be available.

Overcoming public distrust of the Covid-19 vaccines is a major obstacle to governments’ efforts worldwide in persuading enough people to get vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.

The acceptance of the vaccines depends on public trust and confidence in the safety and efficacy of vaccines and immunisation, the health system, healthcare professionals and the wider vaccine research community.

These are all important factors that influence a person’s decision-making process.

Furthermore, for vaccine uptake to increase, the public must be inspired through authentic communication and dialogue — something the public health agencies here, including the national task force, has arguably failed to achieve.

The public health agencies should have launched robust public outreach efforts that encourage various communities, including religious groups, to address the questions and concerns that these communities may have.

Even if the public does not fully trust the science of the vaccines, social norms in the communities can go a long way in persuading people to get vaccinated.

If individuals believe that all the people they love and the people who care for them think that they should get the vaccine, they are more likely to be influenced to get it.

The public’s trust and confidence are important in light of adverse overseas news reports about the side effects of the vaccines, with people having died after getting the shots.

Another hurdle our public health officials have to overcome is the people’s primary concern: Whether the vaccines are appropriately tested for safety, efficacy and effectiveness before the authorities such as the Health Sciences Authority approve them for use.

We have been in this pandemic for around a year and the vaccines have been developed fairly quickly (it normally takes a few years), so it is natural for people to be suspicious of what is unknown.

The public health agencies must work to "immunise" people against misinformation.

This could be accomplished only if there is trust resulting from authentic relationships between the Government and the people.

Vaccine hesitancy is a problem of dignity as much as of the abundance of falsehoods.

Singaporeans want to have their choices respected, not to be told that they cannot choose which vaccines to take because they rejected one the first time.

It would be helpful for the national task force to re-examine its communication and engagement strategy for the vaccination programme, with the view to build up the public’s trust.

ABOUT THE WRITER:

Professor Sattar Bawany is the chief executive officer of the Disruptive Leadership Institute, a global research and executive-development firm.

Have views on this issue or a news topic you care about? Send your letter to voices [at] mediacorp.com.sg with your full name, address and phone number.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

In his letter, Prof Bawany wrote: “The public’s trust and confidence are important in light of adverse overseas news reports about the side effects of the vaccines, with people having died after getting the shots. Another hurdle our public health officials have to overcome is the people’s primary concern: Whether the vaccines are appropriately tested for safety, efficacy and effectiveness before the authorities such as the HSA approve them for use.”

To date, there are no reports of death as a result of the Covid-19 vaccines.

The Health Science Authority (HSA) has assessed that the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine used in Singapore meets safety and efficacy standards, and this assessment is supported by the Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination, which has also reviewed the clinical data on the vaccine.

Readers can refer to the Ministry of Health’s website (www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19/vaccination) for information and regular updates on the Covid-19 vaccines and the vaccination programme.