Bangkok In mid-June, the gap was enormous: when Germany reported that half of the population had already been vaccinated against the coronavirus at least once, just a fifth in Asia had received a dose. Emerging countries such as Thailand and Vietnam lagged particularly far behind with a vaccination rate of significantly less than ten percent.
But since then the picture has changed completely: While vaccination rates stagnated in the west, Asia made an impressive race to catch up – and is now on the verge of overtaking Europe. According to data from the science portal Our World in Data, 61 percent of Europe’s population had received at least one vaccination in mid-November. In Asia it is now 60 percent.
Some Asian economies have already taken the lead: In the city-state of Singapore, more than 87 percent have been vaccinated at least once, in Japan and South Korea around 80 percent. But it is not only the wealthy countries of the continent that are far ahead when it comes to vaccination: Cambodia – one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia – also has a vaccination rate of more than 80 percent. The emerging country Malaysia is currently 79 percent.
For comparison: In Germany, the vaccination rate has remained at around 70 percent for weeks.
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Hardly any vaccine refusers in Southeast Asia
Countries like Thailand and Vietnam are now on the verge of catching up with the German vaccination quota. The rapid progress was made possible by a noticeable relaxation in the vaccine market: The procurement of large quantities of vaccine is now much easier for the countries than in the first half of the year. But the success is also due to the high willingness to vaccinate in the population: In contrast to many Western countries, die-hard opponents of vaccinations are a vanishingly small minority in Asian countries.
A survey by the opinion research company Yougov shows how big the difference is: According to data from the end of October, 98 percent in Singapore and Malaysia said they had already been vaccinated against the coronavirus or were planning a vaccination. In Vietnam the value was 97 percent, in Thailand 91 percent. In Germany, the willingness to vaccinate in the study was significantly lower at 83 percent. In the USA, the value was last at 74 percent.
According to experts, Asia’s enthusiasm for vaccinations is related to the high priority that politicians and citizens have placed on fighting pandemics in the region since the outbreak of the virus: Face masks were already established in cities like Bangkok in spring 2020 and are still worn almost without exception – also outdoors.
Since November, entry into Thailand has been possible again for double-vaccinated people without quarantine.
(Photo: AP)
The countries in the region also introduced tough travel restrictions and are only slowly beginning to lift quarantine regulations. The consistent approach met with a high level of approval among the population: “The news broadcasts clearly convey the danger of the pandemic,” says Phimphan Pisutsan, a tropical medicine specialist in Bangkok. “That’s why many people are worried about being infected.” From their point of view, this means that there is a high willingness to vaccinate.
In emerging countries such as Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the above-average caution is very likely to be related to the weak social systems: Covid disease is not only a health risk for many, but also a financial risk due to the threat of weeks of loss of income. A vaccination is seen as an important safeguard against possible losses.
Unvaccinated people face high hospital bills
The example of Singapore shows, however, that very high vaccination rates are also possible in affluent countries. The country’s health authorities are relying on incentives based on the carrot and stick principle. Shortly after the start of the vaccination campaign, the government linked the withdrawal of strict corona measures to the achievement of an 80 percent vaccination quota. Anyone who received a dose thus got the feeling that they were not only protecting themselves, but also contributing to a common goal.
At the same time, the government of the city-state is also putting considerable pressure on the few who have not yet been vaccinated: From December 8th, it no longer wants to cover the treatment costs of Covid patients who are voluntarily unvaccinated. Unvaccinated people who have to be treated in intensive care units therefore face hospital bills of around 16,000 euros in the future. In addition, from the coming year, unvaccinated people will have to be tested daily at their own expense in order to be allowed to appear at their workplace.
A high vaccination rate was also achieved in Japan. However, the Ministry of Health does not want to put pressure on unvaccinated people.
(Photo: Getty Images)
In contrast, Japan achieved its high vaccination quota with an approach that was entirely voluntary: the Ministry of Health expressly rejects any discrimination against unvaccinated persons. “Even if your company asks you to get vaccinated, you don’t have to follow suit,” a government website said. Instead, the authorities relied on positive incentives such as vouchers and gifts, but above all on common sense.
In view of widespread vaccine skepticism in the country, the strategy was not without risk: According to international comparisons, trust in vaccines in Japan has been lower than in almost any other country in the past. However, this hardly harmed the corona vaccination campaign. The epidemiologist Kentaro Iwata explained this in interviews, among other things, with the strong group pressure in his home country: Those who got vaccinated could demonstrate in their own social environment that they were no longer a danger to others.
Iwata is satisfied with the result: “The vaccination campaign was a complete success.” Among the G7 countries, Japan is now in the lead, ahead of Canada, with 76 percent fully vaccinated. From December the country wants to start giving “booster vaccinations” to all residents over the age of 18.
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