Why many Asian countries are cautious about vaccines

Photographer: Chan Long Hei / Bloomberg

The countries fastest to adopt social distance and contact tracking systems have largely kept Covid-19 under control, but their citizens are now finding themselves lagging behind in receiving the shots needed to finally end a pandemic that killed millions. has destroyed.

Governments from Japan and Australia to Hong Kong and South Korea are taking their time to issue regulatory approvals for vaccines, in stark contrast to Western nations rushing to vaccinate the population.

That cautious approach may seem odd given the urgency to return to normal life, but low infection rates may keep Asian governments waiting to see unprecedented vaccination pressures play out elsewhere. Still, the strategy risks leaving them economically relative to places that failed containment but accelerated vaccination.

In New Zealand, it ranks first at Bloomberg’s Covid Resilience In the ranking of major economies best fighting the pandemic, the main opposition party asked Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to explain why the country has “fallen behind the rest of the world with its vaccine program.” In South Korea, an editorial in the Hankyoreh newspaper said, “We cannot forever ask people to stop their daily lives and endure the economic pain.”

But officials are defending their pace as the safer approach, and one they deserve. “It’s okay to sit back and see how others are doing,” said Lam Ching-choi, a physician and Executive Council member who advises the Hong Kong leader. “I’m totally sympathetic where they don’t have the luxury and they have to do it the fastest way to kill the epidemic.”

Front runners

Top 10 countries with the fastest rollout of Covid vaccines

Source: Bloomberg’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker from Jan. 13, 6 p.m. EST

Hong Kong, which is currently reporting several dozen Covid-19 cases daily and with a total death toll of 161 since the start of the pandemic, has yet to approve a single vaccine as it awaits more detailed clinical trial data ahead of a planned vaccination trip to begin in February.

Australia, which closed its border to non-residents when the pandemic started and has imposed strict lockdowns when cases do occur, expects the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE by the end of January and the AstraZeneca Plc vaccine next month. shots that also start in February.

The US and UK, on ​​the other hand, already have delivered a total of nearly 14 million shots after accelerated approvals last month, while Israel delivered 2 million doses, or 22 shots per 100 people.

Vaccine anxiety

Asian officials and health experts remain concerned as this is the first use of this particular one vaccine mRNA technology, which instructs the human body to produce proteins that then develop protective antibodies. It is also the first global vaccination effort to be undertaken at such a rapid rate.

While millions have received injections without incident, there have been some allergic reactions including anaphylactic shock and incidents such as the death of a health professional 16 days after receiving the Pfizer injection, although no association has been established.

“This extra time will allow those countries to learn from the experience of countries that have begun distribution,” 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 confident you will be in your own deployment. The technology used for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines has never been used in humans before, and while the safety looks good, the more data the better. “

Some countries are concerned that pharmaceutical companies have been granted legal immunity in hasty negotiations. South Korean Health Minister Park Neunghoo said countries have been forced to enter into “unfair contracts” with these companies due to the “incomprehensible” nature of the pandemic. Seoul plans to shoot in February.

Over 32.4 Million Shots Given: Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker

“It is almost universal around the world that comprehensive immunity from liability is demanded” from the companies, Park said at a recent press conference, noting that Korean officials need time to scrutinize safety data as companies take no responsibility for any accidents . . “Rushing to vaccinate populations before identifying risks isn’t that necessary for us.”

Herd immunity

Such statements may not suit the citizens of Asian economies affected by the virus before the West, and therefore have worn masks for nearly a whole year, staying at home, and adhering to strict rules of social distance.

“Everyone is trying to survive and I think they should get the vaccines to the people who like them as soon as possible,” said Aron Harilela, president of Harilela Hotels Ltd. and former Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. “You can still worry about making the wrong decision, but the whole world is on vaccines, because all economies will be on their knees if we don’t open up.”

In New Zealand – which closed its border early and eradicated the virus – the opposition has criticized the country’s slow vaccination timeline, citing a global resurgence of the virus and the emergence of more transmissible variants. New Zealand’s rollout is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2021.

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

Failed rollout

Another reason for moving more slowly than desperate Western countries is that they don’t want a failed rollout to undermine public confidence in the vaccines, putting the ability to inoculate a sufficient percentage of the population for herd immunity at risk. coming.