Vaccine Mandates Are Lawful, Effective and Based on Rock-Solid Science (Scientific American )
Clear legal pathways exist to move the U.S. closer to herd immunity
By Lawrence O. Gostin on August 5, 2021
The U.S. has reached a worrying plateau in its COVID-19 vaccination coverage, with just half of the population fully vaccinated. This coincides with pandemic fatigue, or weak compliance with COVID-19 risk-mitigation measures such as masking and distancing, and the highly infectious Delta variant, which accounts for more than 83 percent of infections. We’re at an inflection point in the pandemic, with coronavirus infections soaring by about 140 percent in the past two weeks.
Reflecting deep concern over lagging vaccinations, the Biden administration recently mandated vaccinations for all federal workers and contractors (with masking and regular testing as an alternative option), while the Department of Veterans Affairs issued mandates for all frontline health workers at its facilities. President Joe Biden also ordered the military to move toward compulsory vaccinations.
California, New York City and New York State are leading the way in requiring that government workers get vaccinated or else submit to weekly testing. And New York City just announced its “Key to NYC Pass,” requiring proof of vaccination for access to most indoor activities, including gyms, restaurants and performances, beginning on September 13—the first policy of its kind in the U.S. Meanwhile more hospitals and long-term care facilities are implementing mandates following a joint statement from 100 medical and nursing groups urging compulsory vaccinations. And when schools of higher education return in the fall, nearly 600 colleges and universities will require vaccination. That’s true in the private sector as well as a rising tide of businesses—including Uber, Facebook, Google, Netflix and Delta Air Lines—mandate vaccinations for workers.
The U.S. has reached a worrying plateau in its COVID-19 vaccination coverage, with just half of the population fully vaccinated. This coincides with pandemic fatigue, or weak compliance with COVID-19 risk-mitigation measures such as masking and distancing, and the highly infectious Delta variant, which accounts for more than 83 percent of infections. We’re at an inflection point in the pandemic, with coronavirus infections soaring by about 140 percent in the past two weeks.
Reflecting deep concern over lagging vaccinations, the Biden administration recently mandated vaccinations for all federal workers and contractors (with masking and regular testing as an alternative option), while the Department of Veterans Affairs issued mandates for all frontline health workers at its facilities. President Joe Biden also ordered the military to move toward compulsory vaccinations.
California, New York City and New York State are leading the way in requiring that government workers get vaccinated or else submit to weekly testing. And New York City just announced its “Key to NYC Pass,” requiring proof of vaccination for access to most indoor activities, including gyms, restaurants and performances, beginning on September 13—the first policy of its kind in the U.S. Meanwhile more hospitals and long-term care facilities are implementing mandates following a joint statement from 100 medical and nursing groups urging compulsory vaccinations. And when schools of higher education return in the fall, nearly 600 colleges and universities will require vaccination. That’s true in the private sector as well as a rising tide of businesses—including Uber, Facebook, Google, Netflix and Delta Air Lines—mandate vaccinations for workers.
Are these mandates lawful and ethical? The short answer is emphatically yes. And there is strong behavioral science evidence that mandates will be highly effective.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccine-mandates-are-lawful-effective-and-based-on-rock-solid-science/
THE LAWFULNESS OF COVID-19 MANDATES
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Ty, Becky. 
So worried for school kids!
