Singaporeans are divided on the need for Covid-19 booster shots, a recent survey revealed.
And more and more people, especially those over 60, see the virus as a low health risk.
These were the results of a survey conducted by biotech company Moderna and market research corporation YouGov, which aimed to get a sense of Singaporeans’ attitudes towards Covid-19 vaccines and other healthy habits.
It found that 49 percent of the 1,256 respondents felt it was necessary to receive an updated Covid-19 vaccine, while 51 percent thought the opposite.
When asked how they understand Covid-19, more than 43% of respondents over the age of 60 consider it a low or very low threat to their health, according to results released on Wednesday, April 24 in collaboration with World Immunization Week.
That’s a 10% drop from last year, Moderna and YouGov said in a statement, adding that only 33. 4% had an opinion at the time.
Seniors aged 60 and over are among the most vulnerable to Covid-19 infection, the Ministry of Health (MS) said in a September 2021 statement.
“The effects of this survey highlight that there is still a disconnect between public belief and the realities of Covid-19,” said Evelyn Pang, leader of Moderna Singapore.
“As a community, we want to prioritize healthy behavior and make sure vaccines are a component of that so we can continue our daily lives in the face of diseases like Covid-19. “
When Lianhe Zaobao visited a joint Covid-19 testing and vaccination centre in the Woodlands, the journalist observed that only a handful of people were there to get a booster shot.
A staff member said that apart from a few children, the center was almost empty every day.
In a statement in February this year, the Ministry of Health said that people who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 deserve to receive two first shots of the vaccine eight weeks apart.
An additional Covid-19 dose of an updated vaccine for 2024 is also for people six months and older, especially healthcare workers, as well as caregivers and those living with medically vulnerable people.
Ma Xiaoyi (transliteration), 49, who works in the restaurant industry, told Zaobao that he won three rounds of vaccination.
“If Covid-19 behaves like a flu, it probably wouldn’t be mandatory to vaccinate everyone, but only the elderly, the young, or other people with existing illnesses. “
Cai Zimo (transliteration), a 27-year-old student at Nanyang Technological University who has also been vaccinated three times, said: “I’m not too sure about the dangers of contracting Covid-19, but it turns out like no other way. . . than getting vaccinated. “
The survey found that respondents between the ages of 35 and 44 are the most hesitant to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and the least likely to recommend the vaccine to their family and friends.
Dr Leong Choon Kit, a family physician at Mission Medical Clinic, said, “I am concerned that so many other people have been complacent, even though Covid-19 still poses a significant threat and risk to many other vulnerable people in our community. “”.
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chingshijie@asiaone. com