Let’s make informed decisions

Writer: This is the good NEWS. -Ed

With Covid-19 vaccine developers reporting promising results, we are soon going to be faced with the question of whether or not we want to be vaccinated. It is understandable that many people would want and need the vaccine as soon as possible, but it is also understandable that some may be wary of not only a new product but also a new type of vaccine (mRNA) in the case of Pfizer and Moderna.

This leads us to the problem of what the medical fraternity now refers to as vaccine hesitancy. American research data suggest only 3 in 4 people would get vaccinated if a Covid-19 vaccine were available, and only 30% would want to receive the vaccine soon after it becomes available.

If these numbers prove to be universally accurate, then even if a safe and effective vaccine is produced, at best world-wide immunity will be significantly delayed by vaccine hesitancy, at a cost to both lives and to the resumption of normal life, and at worst, it may never be achieved. It is therefore probable we will face the public health question: Can the government compel us to be vaccinated or do we have the right to refuse it?

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