The Purpose of Vaccination Mandates

Disclosure: I am fully vaccinated and was willing to become vaccinated without any need for an incentive. I firmly trust researched science. If you feel that this essay will not change your mind about becoming vaccinated, then stop reading right now. This is not the essay for you.

18 months into the COVID pandemic and we have finally reached the point of division. With the FDA approval of Pfizer’s vaccine, many state governments have moved to mandatory vaccine, sparking an uproar among people who don’t want to receive the vaccine. This uproar makes me wonder: when will this pandemic end?

I think about 1918, when influenza had become the cause of a global pandemic then. According to wikipedia (which cited medical journal articles), the 1918 pandemic was from March of 1918 to April of 1920 (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_flu ). That had given me hope of when we would pull out of this current pandemic, however, I am seeing the complete opposite of that.

“Why is it taking so long?” continues to ring in my mind. Well, I think about the world population. Presently, we are looking at over 5 billion people on the planet. When the 1918 pandemic hit, the globe was holding around 1 billion people (especially coming right off a world war). We now have well over 5 times the amount of people, each with their own thoughts and beliefs. This is where the problem begins.

To quote Men in Black, Agent K (Tommy Lee jones) states: “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it.” (1997; film).

This pandemic has proven this statement in more ways than one. Buzzfeed had a collection of “25 people who are going to make the pandemic last.” You may view that here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/25-awful-people-who-are-going-to-make-the-pandemic-last.

This is why I firmly believe in mandatory vaccines.

Why are governments making it mandatory?

A government has a greater responsibility: taking care of it constituents. Sometimes the laws that lawmakers pass fit perfectly with people they serve perfectly. There are times these laws creates civil unrest instead. However, the governments primary goal is to create a safe environment for all. If you work for the government, then of course you will be required to become vaccinated to keep those who are not vaccinate and susceptible to COVID safe. If you work at a school and you catch COVID, you can easily spread it to the students who then go home to spread it through their family. This recently occurred in California: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/08/28/delta-variant-unvaccinated-children-elementary-schools/

With the vaccine, you are less like to spread the virus. It’s really that simply. With mandatory vaccination, this is the goal of the government. Nothing more.

Why are governments considering a vaccine pass/passport?

Same reason. To protect the general public and to keep hospitalization low. It is not to infringe on your rights. In fact, when your right endanger the life of others, that is when government laws override your rights. For example: You have freedom of speech. However, when your right to freedom of speech endangers the lives of others, then your right is overridden by the law. The US has been trying really hard to end the COVID crisis, but with so many people not wanting to become vaccinated, mask up, or cease gathering, it continues to add to the problem.

How is not becoming vaccinated harmful?

The more people who remain unvaccinated the more opportunity the virus has to mutate to a different strain and continue to be a threat. To slow the rate mutation, we need to have as many people vaccinated as possible. For example: think of a football team. If the offensive football team continues with the same play over and over, the defensive team will be able to easily adapt and stop the opposing team from scoring. COVID is the offensive team, trying to score. We (humans) are the defensive team. The vaccine is changing our game play to stop COVID from winning. If we, the defensive team (Humans), continue with our same defensive strategy (relying on only our immune system, not masking, and social gather), then the offensive team COVID will adapt and change it’s gameplay to wipe us out! It’s that simple. This is where science (i.e. microbiology, virology, etc) become useful.

Bah, I’m not taking the vaccine

Personally, I will restate my stance: I firmly trust researched science. I understand that you have a choice to become injected or not. I respect your choice, if that is what you want to do. I am not trying to take this choice away from you. I will warn you that with your choice come consequences. You may:

A) Not be allowed into certain place unless you have proof of a COVID test. This is to protect other patrons of that establishment. It is not to discriminate against you. You have your choice and business need to do what is best for their employees and their patrons.

B) Lose your job/career. If you work for the government (state or federal) the government MUST put the safety of the general public before your choice to remain unvaccinated.

C) Lose relationships. This is more of a personal level of other people. It depends on how strongly you or your friends feel about the vaccine.

D) Catch a severe case of COVID. Worst case scenario for you. Keep in mind, there have been fully healthy young adults who still succumbed to severe effects of COVID. A recent article from BBC states:

“The data reinforces the fact that Covid is not flu and we are seeing even young adults coming into hospital suffering significant complications, some of which will require furthering monitoring and potentially further treatment in the future.” (July 16, 2021; https://www.bbc.com/news/health-57840825 )

Bottomline, choosing to remain unvaccinated is similar to playing Russian roulette with the same consequence.

On a personal note: when I received my second COVID vaccine shot, I suffered greatly. I am one of the few people that did have a reaction to the vaccine. I spent a whole weekend at home. Day one after the shot, I had chills; loss of appetite, lack of energy and more. By day 2, I was more mobile then day one. I still couldn’t eat much, but at least I was able to move around. By day 3, I was back to normal. It made me think, “if this is me just after a shot, then what if I had contracted the virus directly?” I don’t even want to think about it.

Lastly, I want to debunk some of the conspiracies wrapped around the vaccine:

Microchip and tracking:

The government doesn’t need to track you. It does that already. If you have a social security number and you work, they are tracking you. Furthermore, why bother with a microchip? If you have a smart phone, you’re already allowing yourself to be tracked.

No junk in me from the vaccine

The vaccine is mild compared to fast food places. If you eat at a fast food place, I believe you are putting worse junk in you voluntarily. Fast food, is simply that: fast food! It’s not the healthiest and there is research supporting the negative effects of these establishments.

The Vaccine was Rushed

Of course it was rushed! People were dying from COVID. This became a global effort to find a method to battle the virus effectively. With the technology we have now, it was much easier to collaborate with medical research teams throughout the whole world. Unlike 1918 (where it was difficult to share information and research) a medical team could share their notes, their findings, and video via the same tool you are using to read this very article: the internet. That explains why the vaccine was developed so quickly.

Vaccine Mandates are Creating Discrimination

I don’t understand the logic behind this one. You are not being forced to become vaccinated. If you choose to not take the shot, then prepare for testing (reread my points above). You are not being discriminated against. Establishments are demonstrating the concern for their employees, clients, patrons, students, families, etc. Show proof of no COVID symptoms and live life.

I hope this helps put a little more understanding to the current situation. In the end, to quote The Matrix: “You have a choice.” Whichever choice you choose, you must live with those consequence.