The Covid pandemic seems to rage fiercely in recent two weeks. Territories in Asia saw a spike in new Covid cases, and many of the patients are asymptomatic. Even patients who had been inoculated also fell ill.
Many are asking whether there still is a need to get ourselves inoculated, since one will still be infected. And the answer is yes. Why? Simply because vaccination helps us avoid falling seriously ill, and one’s infectivity can be reduced significantly when infected.
Put it this way. Even after inoculation we still wear a mask, we still practice personal hygiene by washing hands with soap and water. When there are big events such as concert and football match, the health authorities check audiences’ vaccination record and rapid test result at the entrance.
When big events attended by mask-wearing inoculated individuals are proven to be safe and few new infection cases might occur, that might mean further relaxing the restrictions is possible. 2021 English FA Cup Final between Leicester City and Chelsea at Wembley Stadium could be a good starting point.
As infectious disease specialist at Singapore’s Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital Dr Leong Hoe Nam puts it, when coronavirus only causes normal cold and patients no longer need to be hospitalised, we will move on in life as it is.
With vaccination and self-discipline, I believe our target is not far away. But of course, we need to make sure that vaccination and self-discipline go hand in hand to achieve the goal.
新冠肺炎最近兩週肆虐亞洲各地區，而且很多新病例都是沒有發病症狀的患者。有些患者曾經接種疫苗，也依然確診感染冠病。如果施打疫苗也會中招，很多人因此質問我們是否還有必要接種疫苗。沒錯，還是有其必要。這就是答案。因為接種疫苗之後有助於預防重症，而且即使不幸感染了，傳染性也會大幅降低。
這麼說好了。若然接種疫苗之後依然戴口罩，我們依然努力維持個人衛生習慣，常常用肥皂洗手。遇上大型活動例如演唱會和足球賽，醫護人員在入口處檢查入場觀眾的施打疫苗紀錄，並且當場進行快篩。
假如打過疫苗的民眾戴著口罩出席大型活動可以證明是相當安全，而且祇有非常少量的感染案例會發生，那就意味著更大幅度放寬限制是有可能的。溫布利球場上演的萊斯特市對壘切爾西的2021年英格蘭足總盃決賽，大概就是一個很好的開始。
誠如伊麗莎白諾維娜醫院傳染病專家梁浩楠醫生所言，當新型冠狀病毒祇會引起普通感冒，而且病人再不需要入院治療，我們的生活還是會繼續。
憑著疫苗接種與自律，相信我們離目標大概不遠了。當然，我們需要確保疫苗接種與自律兩大事項相輔相成，我們的目標才有可能實現。