Introduction
As pharmaceuticals and biotechnology companies announced the completion of clinical trials testing the vaccine against COVID-19 and got emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, all states started introducing it. Like any other vaccination, the shots against the SARS-CoV-2 are voluntary, meaning that individuals cannot be forced to get them. Although many people in the United States received their vaccinations, the U.S. has not attained herd immunity yet. The recent data state that 60% of the U.S. population is vaccinated while the recommended number is above 70% to create collective immunity (Brailovskaia et al. 2; Share of the Population Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19). However, the recent enforcement from the White House was blocked by district judges in most states, preventing vaccine mandates for workers (Hals). This issue is of national importance because population health and the country’s development are at stake since the continued spread of the infection will not allow the economy to recover properly. Thus, the government should introduce vaccine mandates to create protection for those who cannot receive immunization due to medical contraindications since this virus damaged the economy and killed millions of people worldwide.
The White House’s Proposed Legislation About Vaccination Against COVID-19
President Biden’s administration decided to enforce this legislation due to the growing concern about the new coronavirus mutations. The government is concerned about the omicron variant that became more infectious than alpha and delta forms (Hals). The fear is that it may result in a second global lockdown, which will harm the economy and result in a surge in mortality from the consequences of this infection (Hals). If the government wants to prevent the rise of COVID-related deaths and help businesses enter the recovery phase from the recession, this mandate should be implemented to reduce the incidence of this disease. Introducing this mandate would mean that people who were not vaccinated would not be able to have access to specific organizations and activities not to expose other people to a potential risk for infection. Still, it does not suggest that they will be forcefully immunized. Thus, the White House enforced the vaccine mandates in early November of this year, but this initiative was blocked by district courts (Hals). The President’s team had specific reasons to implement the new policy that seemed to be ignored by the opposing side.
The Motivation for Enforcing COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
The coronavirus that caused this pandemic continues to take thousands of people’s lives daily, but people want organizations to reopen; hence, vaccine mandates may help prevent the uprise of the infection rate. According to recent statistics, the number of daily new cases is about 690,000, while COVID-related deaths are more than 8,100 worldwide (COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic). These numbers declined compared to the last year and even to the period of January-July 2021 when the numbers were twice as high as they are now (COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic). Since the general trend shows that the pandemic seems to start declining, people want businesses and educational institutions to return to the pre-pandemic level of functioning. For example, 77% of schools reported converting from remote teaching to entirely in-person classes for their students (Kurtz 2). It means that children, teachers, and their families are at higher risk for infection because the virus infects and damages individuals’ health regardless of their wishes and plans. Hence, obligating people to receive the vaccination to participate in social life can reduce the viral spread, protect the health of citizens, and help schools and other organizations remain open.
The Current State of Non-Pharmaceutical Measures to Stop the Pandemic
Since the implementation of immunization against this virus, non-pharmaceutical measures such as wearing masks, antiseptic techniques, and social distancing became less strictly regulated. Before vaccines were developed, clinically tested, and approved, these measures were the only effective ways to reduce viral spread. However, local policies on protective wearing, testing, and social distancing are no longer uniform across the states (Kurtz 1). The latter is not followed in most states because businesses and educational organizations started to reopen. Moreover, only about 50% of district schools require mask-wearing for employees and students (Kurtz 1). These numbers range from 27% in the Midwest to 80% in the Northeast of the country (Kurtz 1). It appears that these methods of preventing the transmission of infection can no longer be considered reliable; thus, the government’s focus should shift to minimizing the spread and severity of the disease through vaccination. Furthermore, non-adherence to pre-emptive strategies will again lead to the expansion of the daily new cases and COVID-related deaths. Therefore, vaccine mandates can help attain herd immunity in the U.S. and protect a vulnerable population that cannot receive immunization due to poor health status.
Vaccines as the Way to Stop the Pandemic and Hesitancy to Get Immunization
Immunization is one of the most effective ways to battle many infectious diseases. Thus, scientists and pharmaceutical companies decided to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 when the pandemic started. Currently, more than “140 candidate vaccines undergoing clinical trials and about 20 approved vaccines” are available globally (Brailovskaia et al. 1). Since all vaccines approved for use in the United States demonstrated their high efficacy in preventing severe COVID-19 illness, people should consider it the primary way to stop the ongoing crisis (Brailovskaia et al. 1). Unfortunately, even though 75% of respondents in the U.S. were willing to get vaccinated before it was approved, the desired percentage has not been attained yet (Brailovskaia et al. 2). The possible explanation is that citizens are hesitant to receive immunization due to misinformation and false perception about cost, availability, and possible side effects (Brailovskaia et al. 14). Therefore, the federal government should ensure that accurate information is spread through all major television channels and social media. Moreover, the mandates will encourage individuals to explore this topic and discuss it with medical professionals to obtain adequate data and be convinced that vaccination is safe.
The Opposition’s Argument for Rejecting Vaccine Mandate
The opponents of this mandate argue that only the legislative bodies can resolve the issue of obligatory vaccination and that non-pharmaceutical measures are enough to protect citizens. One of the judges argued that these decisions “should be done by Congress, not a government agency” (Hals). Furthermore, they claim that wearing masks, following sanitation rules, and regular testing are sufficient to prevent viral spread (Hals). However, many employers and educators support vaccine mandates for staff and students in educational institutions. Indeed, almost 60% of educators claim that vaccine mandates should be applied to schools (Kurtz 1). Notably, the law will not force people with absolute medical contraindications to be vaccinated, but they need to be protected by a healthy population’s immunity. Moreover, COVID-19 testing is not obligatory in organizations with at least one hundred employees (Hals). According to Kurtz, “district policies on testing, masks, and vaccinations are anything but uniform, with approaches varying considerably by region” (1). It appears that people cannot rely only on masks because social distancing is no longer strictly regulated. Consequently, the vaccine mandate seems to be the most effective measure to stop the pandemic.
Conclusion
The vaccine mandate is critical to achieving collective immunity in the United States and allowing all aspects of people’s lives to return to the pre-pandemic level. Nevertheless, the recent enforcement of President Biden’s administration for this pandemic-related policy was blocked by district courts in most states. They claimed that facial masks, regular testing, and sanitation rules should be sufficient to reduce the viral spread. However, since social distancing and wearing masks are no longer tightly controlled across the country, vaccination should be required for people without health contraindications to protect them from severe disease and generate herd immunity. Notably, the mandate does not violate citizens’ freedom and is not an obligation to vaccinate. Moreover, many schools began to function in non-remote mode; hence, leaders of these institutions support obligatory vaccination for their employees and students. These individuals understand the fact that vaccines are safe and effective. On the other hand, people who are hesitant to receive immunization probably lack accurate knowledge about the available vaccines. Lastly, this mandate could help preserve the current recovery stage in all areas of people’s lives across the United States and diminish death from this virus.
Works Cited
Brailovskaia, Julia, et al. “To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate!? Predictors of Willingness to Receive Covid-19 Vaccination in Europe, the U.S., and China.” PLoS ONE, vol. 16, no. 12, 2021, pp. 1-23. Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints, Web.
“COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.” Worldometer, 2021, Web.
Hals, Tom. “Courts Block Two Biden Administration COVID Vaccine Mandates.” Reuters, Web.
Kurtz, Holly B. T. “Educators’ Support for COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Is Rising Dramatically.” Education Week, vol. 41, 2021, pp. 1-2. Web.
“Share of the Population Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19, 2021.” Our World in Data, Web.