Government Officials Will be Going Door-to-Door to Address Concerns About COVID-19 Vaccine

Do you have questions about the Covid-19 vaccine?

If you do, check out the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) comprehensive information page about the vaccination programme in Singapore.

That solves the problem for the internet-savvy people in Singapore. But how about those who are not as internet-savvy?

Well, the government is not sparing any resources when it comes to Covid-19 vaccination; here’s what they’re planning to do.

Government Officials Will be Going Door-to-Door to Address Concerns About COVID-19 Vaccine

On 21 Jan 2021, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong announced that government officials will be going door-to-door to address concerns about the Covid-19 vaccination.

Other than that, the officials will also be explaining why vaccination is needed and teach people how to use the online booking system.

It was not stated when the door-to-door visits will start.

Take It Up When Offered

Reiterating what’s been said over the past weeks, Education Minister Lawrence Wong added that people should be prepared to take up the vaccination offer when it’s available.

As the government pushes out vaccination jabs as soon as the supply is here, people who reject the offer might find themselves facing a lack of vaccine at a later date.

No vaccine will be reserved for people who reject the offer, the minister added.

“Our interest is to get as many people vaccinated as soon as possible. Each time we get the supply (of vaccine doses), we will push them out, we will send out the invites to book (a vaccination slot).

“For those who choose not to take up, it’s your choice, but we will roll out and push out the vaccines regardless.”

People Who Are Not Vaccinated Might Face More Restrictions Later

Previously, in an interview with CNA’s Talking Point, Minister Wong said that there are “tangible benefits” to taking the Covid-19 vaccine in Singapore.

If the Covid-19 vaccine is proven to significantly reduce transmission, people who choose to get vaccinated might not have to serve SHN, or at least a shorter SHN, when travelling back into Singapore.

On the other hand, for those who chose not to take up vaccination, they might be subjected to quarantine, more tests and additional requirements.

However, he assured that the government is not looking to impose more restrictions for unvaccinated persons now since there are people who are not medically eligible for it.

More Will Have To Be Done

In a public opinion tracker by YouGov carried out between 10 Nov 2020 and 10 Jan 2021, it was found that less than half (47%) are willing to be vaccinated.

19% are unlikely to do so while another 34% were undecided.

Minister Gan acknowledged that while there are still plenty of unknowns about the new Covid-19 vaccination, measures have been put into place to monitor the safety of the vaccine.

He urged Singaporeans not to listen to falsehoods about the vaccine but to get their information from credible sources (read: MOH’s website).

As for the vaccination effort for seniors (aged 75 and above) which has been pushed ahead of schedule, experts in Singapore agree that more effort has to be put into explaining the vaccine to the elderly.

If not, you can expect the elderly not to turn up at the vaccination centres.

One thing for sure, though, while you might not need to explain the Covid-19 vaccination to your elderly parents anymore, it might be good to let them know about what’s going on so they won’t think the officials are scammers.

Of course, it might also be a good idea to tell them that the visit by the officials won’t involve them giving away personal details like their banking details and PIN.

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