This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on February 1, 2021 - February 7, 2021

IN what looks like a boost to Malaysia’s economy, eight in 10 Malaysians want to be vaccinated for Covid-19 and five out of 10 want the jab immediately (49.3%) rather than waiting six months (30.1%), according to an online poll by The Edge.

Only 8.8% do not want the vaccine while 11.8% were not sure, according to the poll conducted between Jan 15 and 28 that received 2,013 responses.

Policymakers could shore up acceptance by allaying concerns over the suitability of the vaccine for different categories of recipients, with the first batch of one million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines expected to arrive in Malaysia by end-February.

Of those who said they were “not sure” if they wanted the vaccine, 77% were concerned over the side effects, 11% wanted a choice of vaccine while 12% had other concerns, which largely concerned trust issues over the speed at which vaccines were being produced. While the vaccine is being provided free to all Malaysians, some respondents wondered if they would need to foot the bill if they reacted badly to the vaccine.

Some respondents also expressed concerns over the fact that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires deep-freeze storage facilities, which they reckoned increases the risk of error during transport. Others were fearful of side effects, given pre-existing health conditions and allergies, citing news of people dying in Norway shortly after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The World Health Organization, however, has said that there is currently no evidence of there being a direct link of those elderly deaths to the vaccine.

There are also those who do not think they need the vaccine, noting the need to continue wearing masks and observe social distancing rules after getting the jab. This is because those who are vaccinated can still pass the virus to others who have not been vaccinated. There may be some relaxation, however, once herd immunity is achieved locally and abroad, some experts have said.

Some poll respondents questioned whether all Covid-19 vaccines would prove useful against new variants of the virus, such as that found in South Africa or the UK — asking that they be allowed to choose their own brand of vaccine rather than leaving it to chance. Our poll did not ask if they were willing to pay for their choice of vaccine, though the tight supply of vaccines globally means that the latter may well remain a luxury for most people, if not all.

Just like how some of these fears have been addressed by countries that have begun administering the vaccine, clear direction from the Health Ministry will ensure that medical personnel can correctly address these concerns so that Malaysia can achieve the desired herd immunity.

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