AboutIt’s Time for Mandatory Vaccinations
Even though there’s no vaccine for COVIX-19 yet, it’s important to reduce all burdens on the medical system which may soon be overwhelmed with coronavirus cases. State governments should change their laws to eliminate philosophical and religious exemptions for those vaccinations which are already mandatory; doctors who give phony medical exemptions should be punished.
It’s almost the end of flu season, but flu has the same symptoms as coronavirus. Almost everyone with flu will need to isolate themselves and will require coronavirus testing; severe cases of flu will unnecessarily compete with coronavirus cases for hospital facilities. Even though the flu vaccine may be no more than 75% effective for an individual, immunity for 75% of the population greatly slows the spread of disease since there are less carriers and less targets for it to jump to. This phenomenon is called herd immunity.
If you haven’t had your flu shot, you should do so.
If there is enough vaccine available (I don’t know whether there is), flu shots should be made mandatory to avoid flu cases masquerading as coronavirus. State governments including Vermont’s should look into this immediately.
In years to come, when there may or may not be other pandemics, flu shots should be mandatory and we should consider making proof of vaccination or certified exemption required for purchasing airline and maybe even train and bus tickets.
Mandatory vaccination does pose a tradeoff between individual liberty and societal good. I think its justified to draft everyone able to serve into the war against pandemics.
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