Seniors are targets for latest outbreak, rather unfairly

People are frustrated with the return to the tighter restrictions under Phase 2 (Heightened Alert). Businesses, such as food & beverage outlets including hawker centres, customerfacing retail shops, suffer under P2 (HA). We cannot eat in in coffee shops, hawker centres and F&B outlets for 4 weeks starting 22 July. We know the government is trying to mitigate hardship through $1.1 billion support package. But this is not the issue. The issue is that businesses lose revenue and not about cost sharing with the government and landlords.

There is this argument that Covid-19 infection must be brought under control before the hospital beds are overwhelmed or more deaths occur. So Phase 2 (HA) is necessary to bring down this recent spike in infections resulting from the KTV Cluster and the Jurong Fishery Port Cluster. Because 70% of seniors age 70 and above are vaccinated, the unvaccinated are at risks of severe illnesses from Covid-19. They become another reason for going to Phase 2 (HA).

I read with concern that one individual openly said unvaccinated seniors are “stubborn” for not going to vaccinate (in South China Morning Post report). Do we understand intimately why these seniors are not willing to vaccinate? They should not be used as scapegoats for Singapore going into tight restrictions. Firstly, they did not cause the KTV and the Jurong Fishery Port clusters. Secondly, these seniors like us are just victims of the spread of community cases through wet markets and hawker centres (seeding from Jurong Fishery Port). If both KTV and Jurong Fishery Port were controlled at the start, the latest community clusters will not happen.

I know vaccination is important. Majority (more than 70%) knows this. I am vaccinated and I am a senior. We also know that vaccination is not mandatory and is a personal choice. There are genuine concerns for some seniors.

Some fear side-effects because of known allergies. Some fear death or complications from vaccination. Some say that they are already so old, there is no fear of dying. Some has family members rallying behind them to keep them safe as far as possible. Some may be still waiting for traditional vaccine not using mRNA technology. Some believe that herd immunity may be achieved without them going for vaccination. Some may not even know there is the vaccination programme since they are not plugged in.

These seniors are so misunderstood and are not “stubborn” or worse still being labeled as ”recalcitrants”. They need more persuasions instead. Please do not alienate them for the latest Phase 2 (HA) curbs. They need more care and concern since they are suffering too under Covid-19, not any less than the rest of us.