We should thank Japan and the US for their generosity in donating COVID-19 vaccines to Taiwan, which come at a time of great need, just like the recent seasonal downpours that alleviated the water shortage. As the rains fell on our fields and replenished our reservoirs, we were able to lift the water restrictions that had been put in place.
Unfortunately, the donation of these vaccines in no way suggests that the COVID-19 threat has been extinguished; there is still much that we need to do.
First, we of course need to quickly inoculate prioritized individuals, and this raises the question of whether there are adequate numbers of trained personnel to administer the vaccines.
Second, the government should fully communicate the rationale behind the prioritizations and ask the public to persuade family members most vulnerable to infection to accept the vaccinations. Is the government planning to offer incentives for people to accept them?
Third, everybody needs to be prepared for this fight against the pandemic, because we need to be aware that we are in this for the long haul. Do we have any positive measures in place, other than trying not to leave the house on unnecessary errands?
Fourth, we have to keep the situation under control and try to do better than previously, so that the entire nation is working in lockstep. This does not leave room for differential policies from one region to the other.
If we are to protect lives, we need to be on a war footing, and not just rely on business as usual, using peacetime government resources.
Japan is known for its disciplined society, but its government’s insistence on only allowing doctors and nurses to administer vaccinations has led to a sluggish rollout.
Last year, many Americans refused to wear masks, and when US President Joe Biden said that he wanted to see 100 million people vaccinated within his first 100 days in office, many people feared that he would not achieve this promise. Before those 100 days were up, the US had vaccinated twice that number. The US government’s ability to organize the rollout and to provide the required number of vaccines mobilized the US population.
If we are to replicate the US’ success in changing public attitudes toward vaccination, we will need to mobilize our own social resources, and the first step would be to set up inoculation stations around the country and to launch an intensive program that trains people to administer vaccines.
What would this look like? I suggest starting with university students, currently on their summer vacations.
There has been a consensus for the past year that young people’s immune systems are more resistant to COVID-19, and this provides scientific rationale for training students to take up the task of fighting the pandemic. At the same time, young people are generally trusted and able to organize themselves, so who better than them to run the inoculation stations when the aforementioned vaccines arrive?
Also, instead of arguing about whether to allow student dorms to be occupied over the summer vacation, properly organized students could assist universities to keep the campus partially open for members of the public to exercise, and perhaps even arrange summer activities for elementary and junior-high students.
This would give teenagers a place to run around, and it would also mean that the public is not forced to spend long hours cooped up in a small room, with the attendant increased risk of domestic violence that this situation brings.
In terms of how to make the best use of space and make study fun, look no further than the natural creativity of children. Rather than have children disperse at the end of the day and go to their separate homes, surely it is better to help them discover the value of participation, and learn outside the classroom about how to fight the pandemic and help others.
Taiwan has led the world over the past year in terms of pandemic response, racing ahead of the pack and leaving others in the dust. All of a sudden, we trip over and fall flat on our face. It came as a shock. All we could do was get back to our feet and dust ourselves off, trying to see how many had overtaken us, unsure of how they had been able to change their pace and rush past us while we were down.
Over the past month, the government has only been trying to manage the situation, orchestrating what the public should do, introducing a level 3 COVID-19 alert and then extending it a further two weeks. It is a shame that it has not introduced any other, more proactive social initiatives.
If you think back to the Sunflower movement seven years ago, or to the semiconductor sector over the past six months, you can see how much Taiwan can achieve on the world stage — leading to the vaccine donations from the US and Japan — and how these successes stem from our ability to work together.
The government needs to think long-term and enlist the creative potential of our university students in the war on the pandemic.
Hochen Tan is a former minister of transportation and communications.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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