As a member of the Pioneer Generation in my 80s, I received the invitation from the Government in February to take my Covid-19 vaccination.

However, I was not ready to get vaccinated because I had read reports on the potential side effects for older persons, intensifying my scepticism of the unfamiliar and new messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology for the vaccines.

Moreover, being on several types of medication due to a previous heart surgery, I was more afraid of potentially fatal complications from the jab than of the coronavirus itself.

Despite family members urging me to register early, my intention was to hold out for the more traditional “inactivated virus” vaccines such as Sinovac. I was prepared to wait it out at home, as I had done for more than a year.

These sentiments were common among my friends in their late 80s and early 90s.

The emergence of the Delta variant of the virus, however, reignited my worries of being infected.

After seeing family members and peers vaccinated with negligible side effects and reading articles picking apart vaccine myths, I began to understand that the national vaccination programme is safe, effective and convenient. 

With my daughter’s help, I proceeded to the Tanjong Pagar Community Club in mid-June to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. 

I was impressed by the experience, which took no more than 50 minutes including the observation period, and it was made pleasant thanks to the good logistical arrangements and well-trained volunteers and staff members.

I found tremendous relief in not experiencing any major side effects apart from slight soreness in the arm.

After sharing my positive experience with other people I knew who were holding out, all of them went ahead to receive their jabs as well.

In my view, vaccine hesitancy, especially among senior citizens, arises mainly from uncertainty over things they may not yet know. 

The Government should continue to assuage nagging concerns that seniors may have.

I suspect that easily understood personal testimonies from ordinary citizens would be more persuasive than jargon, expert commentary, statistics, or vague moral appeals.

In any case, I encourage all senior Singaporeans to find peace of mind as I did and quickly go for vaccination.