U.S. News & World Report – Dr. Marty Makary, a professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and editor in chief of MedPage Today, argues that mandating vaccines for “every living, walking American” is, as of now, not well-supported by science.
Moreover Makary, author of “The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care—and How to Fix It,” has concerns about the two-dose vaccine regimen for young people.
Should all Americans be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine?
Dr. Marty Makary: No. As a physician with a lot of experience dealing with patients who don’t follow what we ask them to do, I believe you win more bees with honey than fire.
The vaccines are so good at protecting against death from COVID-19 that those who are immune can feel good about living life without having to worry about becoming severely ill. Vaccines downgrade the infection to a mild seasonal virus – one we must learn to live with for years to come.
“Those who choose not to get vaccinated are making a poor health decision at their own individual risk. They pose no public health threat to those already immune.”
Those who choose not to get vaccinated are making a poor health decision at their own individual risk. They pose no public health threat to those already immune.
Would we be so stern toward people making similar or worse health choices to smoke, drink alcohol or not wear a helmet when riding a bike?
Over 85,000 Americans die annually from alcohol, yet we don’t have the same public health fervor or requirements to save those lives.
Let’s encourage vaccination rather than activate the personal liberty culture wars that result in people becoming more entrenched in their opposition.
The notion that we have to vaccinate every living, walking American – and eventually every newborn – in order to control the pandemic is based on the false assumption that the risk of dying from COVID-19 is equally distributed in the population.
It’s not … READ MORE.
