At the current time 73 percent of the U.S. population over the age of 12 have received one vaccination and 54 percent are fully vaccinated. Some northeastern states including Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont have fully vaccinated close to 70 percent of their populations. In contrast Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Alabama range from 40 percent to 44 percent
The attempt by the Administration to increase the vaccinated proportion of the U.S population by mandate is well intentioned but misguided. Those who are opposed to vaccine over safety concerns or the misplaced notion of ‘freedom of choice’ will certainly not be induced to receive a vaccine under circumstances regarded as coercion.
The mandate may provide cover for employers to require administration of the fully approved vaccine or as an alternative, regular but expensive testing that may in reality be ineffective to prevent dissemination of COVID virus in the workplace. There should be far more emphasis on the "carrot" than the "stick". Justified exemptions should be allowed for sincere religious reasons or for justifiable health concerns. All other non-vaccinated people should be encouraged by scientific fact and logic to receive a vaccine not only for themselves but also for their families and the community at large. The actions by some state leaders in opposing masks and vaccine mandates may have a political appeal to hard-core deniers of COVID and those who dismiss the value of vaccines. Over the intermediate term, persistence of COVID will delay recovery of the economy and will be to the detriment of the citizens of states with high and prolonged incidence rates.
COVID is not "just a little flu" as claimed by Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil who presides over a Nation where the disease is now out of control in many states. COVID kills and is no respecter of age, state or political affiliation. In addition to the acute clinical problems, it is now evident that chronic changes may affect as many as 30 percent of those who are infected, even individuals with mild symptoms. We may in 10 to 20 years time be experiencing an elevation in premature death and disability from heart, renal, pulmonary and brain dysfunction.
The only effective approaches to suppress COVID and to prevent the emergence of potentially more virulent and infectious variants will be to encourage vaccination by making it available, using positive incentives and attempting to counter the malicious, mischievous and misplaced misinformation on websites and fringe media. It is ironic that two ultraconservative talk show hosts who deprecated COVID vaccination have succumbed to the infection. Many among their bereaved families have commented publicly on the harm that the decedents caused. We need positive role models in sport, politics, business, entertainment and religion to recognize their specific responsibility to encourage vaccination. Mandates may achieve an incremental uptake of vaccine but will incur a cost in delaying attainment of herd immunity with unnecessary hospitalizations and inevitable fatalities.
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