We Must Stop the Virus NOW

Most of the country – both governments and people – has diddled over the course of the last 17 months while the virus has taken its toll, surged again, taken its toll, and surged again.  With the availability of effective vaccines last January (I hate to say it, but thanks to Trump's urgency), we all breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that if the vast majority of people get vaccinated, the virus would be stopped, even if not eliminated. 

But there was a major problem with this scenario:  almost half the people did not want to get vaccinated for one reason or another.   Whether the reason was political, misinformation, or fear, the result is the same.   And despite the best efforts of government and NGOs to turn this around, nothing to date has been effective. 

The only solution, short of declaring a national health emergency and forcing everyone to get vaccinated, is to separate the vaccinated from the unvaccinated to the extent possible.   Requiring a vaccine passport to enter any indoor establishment that is not essential, including airplanes.   For essential indoor venues, like grocery stores, it means mandating masks for everyone..

Airplanes must be included because if you look at the New York Times hot spot map, what is clearly happening in the coastal south is that unvaccinated tourists are bringing the virus to resort areas and from there it is spreading.    To control unvaccinated people driving to resort areas, hotels must be told to require proof of vaccination (that was done in New England earlier in the pandemic).

This must be done nationally, not left to the states.  And it must be done now.   States like Texas and Florida are actually prohibiting both vaccine mandates and mask mandates by local governments.   There  can be no hesitation.   We know what hesitation brings.  Actually, we have already hesitated again and the horse is out of the barn, but the virus can still be corralled. 

If people continue to choose not to get vaccinated, then they cannot be allowed to infect others.  This is not about their freedom not to get vaccinated to protect themselves; it's about their not having the freedom to infect others.    They must pay the price for their socially irresponsible behavior by being segregated. 

Vaccine Passports Should Be Required

There is much controversy over whether airlines and other close-quarter non-essential venues can require proof of vaccination for entrance.   As a public health measure, not only should companies be able to require it, the government should mandate that vaccination is a prerequisite whether to boarding a plane or going to a movie or live theater or dining-in at a restaurant.   If you are not vaccinated, you potentially endanger the life of another person and so you must pay the price. 

Such restrictions on people who are not vaccinated are not without precedent.   Many schools require that children are current with their vaccinations, barring religious or health exceptions, in order to attend school.   And in states with mask mandates, people who don't wear a mask in enclosed venues, even essential ones like grocery stores, are denied entrance.

Is this step necessary to protect the public?  Yes. Despite the fact that the US vaccination percentage was increasing at a good pace, the number of new cases per day climbed again, due probably to a combination of spring break travel and the newer variants spreading more quickly, together with people not wearing masks.   Recently the number of daily vaccinations has decreased.   It cannot be said at this point that the virus is under control. 

From a public health perspective, the virus must be brought under control.   The human cost of the pandemic in the United States has been huge.   In another month, we are likely to be at 600,000 deaths.   This virus cannot be beaten by half measures. 

The problem we face is two-fold.   One problem is that a sizable portion of the population (surveys show a range from 25 - 39%) is hesitant or has actually indicated that it will not be vaccinated.   The problem is worst among Republicans, those in rural areas, Blacks, and those aged 18-49.   The other problem is that again a sizable portion of the population (anywhere from 15% to 50%) refuses to wear masks and take other measures to reduce the potential of both transmitting or becoming infected with the virus.  While there is no data on the overlap of these two groups, it is probably more likely than not that these two population subsets are largely coterminous and therefore especially dangerous. 

If such a large percentage of the adult population does not get vaccinated and if a similar proportion refuse to wear masks in public, we will not be able to get the virus under control.   The numbers will surely go down, but there will remain a sizable risk and masks with social distancing will continue to be required of all.   A return to normalcy is not in the offing. 

Given this underlying public health and social problem, which is created not by the virus but by the attitudes of people, people who are not vaccinated should be refused entry to all non-essential enclosed spaces, such as airplanes, restaurants, and theaters. 

But the reader may ask, if everyone has to wear a mask on airplanes or in a theater, why should being vaccinated be required?  Two reasons.  First, many people are careless about how they wear their masks, not covering their nose, so they may be wearing a mask but still present a risk.   Second, at least in planes, people often take off their mask for a period of time either to eat, drink, or just because they're tired of wearing a mask; you can bet the same would happen in a dark theater.    And as a side note, we all long for a return to normalcy.  If everyone in an airplane or theater was vaccinated, we wouldn't have to wear masks.   What a relief that would be.

People may have a right not to get vaccinated or not to wear masks, but they don't have a right to thereby endanger the health and lives of others.   Thus if you insist on this personal choice, you have to accept the limitations placed on your movements for the public safety.