[ad_1]
It is already clear that large sections of the South African public are reluctant to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, but, to achieve herd immunity, it will be necessary to inject around 40 million. (Photo: National Cancer Institute on Unsplash)
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has said that Covid-19 vaccination will not be mandatory in South Africa. But with only 53% of those who responded to a recent survey saying they are willing to get the vaccine, some wonder if vaccination might need to be mandatory.
It is already clear that a large part of the South African public is resistant to receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, but, to achieve herd immunity, it will be necessary to inject around 40 million.
Is there a case to make the Covid-19 vaccine mandatory? The World Health Organization has indicated that it is not in favor of the notion. But it is an issue that has been debated in countries around the world, as the question about vaccines is by no means limited to South Africa.
From Brazil The Supreme Court ruled in December 2020 that local governments could introduce measures for compulsory Covid-19 vaccination. What this means in practice is not that citizens can be repressed and forcibly injected, but that they can be stripped of certain rights, such as entering certain places or receiving certain funds, if they do not comply with vaccination.
In most countries, it is a basic medical precept that consent must be given for all procedures. Furthermore, the Constitution of South Africa enshrines the right to “physical and psychological integrity, which includes the right to security and control of your body.”
But there are collective rights as well as individual rights, and vaccinating one person can prevent others from becoming infected. Blocking is mandatory; people cannot “opt out” even if they have decided that they are willing to risk their personal health. This is the case despite the fact that it can be said that the confinement has a much greater individual and social cost than vaccination.
The blockade argument is one proposed by Oxford ethicist Alberto Giubilini, who write that vaccination should be mandatory because “the less burdensome it is for an individual to do something that prevents harm to others, and the greater the harm prevented, the stronger the ethical reason for imposing it.”
The injection has minimal personal cost, Giubilini argues, and it can prevent one from killing others. He also argues that achieving herd immunity benefits the whole of society, making it “fair” that the burden of getting there is shared equally by individuals.
Giubulini suggests that we view Covid-19 vaccines as the equivalent of wearing seat belts – some people find them uncomfortable, but we recognize that society as a whole is safer if road travelers are buckled up.
The main counterargument against vaccines being mandatory is that they may not work. University College London Vageesh Jain quote a 2014 study that found that countries where vaccines are compulsory “tend not to achieve better coverage” than countries where there is no such obligation.
It is suggested that a more effective strategy is to educate people on the purpose of vaccination, although, strangely, this can backfire. Has been at least one study which has concluded that giving information to the public about vaccines “may actually increase misperceptions or reduce vaccination intent.” However, the study was conducted in the context of the wildly polarized debate about vaccines and autism, which may have skewed things.
Another argument against mandatory vaccination is that Covid-19 is not deadly enough to justify it. The Nuffield Bioethics Council has previously concluded that mandatory vaccination may be justified in only two cases: “for very contagious and serious diseases and, secondly, for the eradication of the disease if the disease is serious and eradication is within reach”.
But the last point can be significant. A just published paper in Nature by Marc Veldhoen and J Pedro Simas states:
“Although this is a newly emerging virus, the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is based on decades of knowledge, and we predict that these vaccines will be successful in ending the Covid-19 pandemic.”
One thing is practically certain: even if governments do not make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for citizens, they will almost certainly be necessary for travel to certain countries. Some South African employers may also make workplace vaccination compulsory, which law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr indicates that it may be legally acceptable.
Daily maverick They asked local experts if they believed that Covid-19 vaccination should be mandatory in South Africa:
The President of the Medical Research Council, Glenda Gray:
“I think there should be an opt-out [options], but I’m sure it will become a requirement for travel or for certain jobs. “
Professor Francois Venter, director of Nuevo:
“My part of public health wants to say yes, but many studies show that it doesn’t work by making them mandatory. Also, I think it is unnecessary: education and careful explanation are enough. Interestingly, however, it can de facto they become mandatory for travel (like the yellow fever vaccine), or for certain work (the hepatitis B vaccine is mandatory for entering medical school) ”.
Jacques Rousseau, professor of ethics at UCT:
“Personal freedom should not automatically prevail over public health. For Covid-19 vaccines, I would certainly support them being mandatory in at least limited cases, for example those that benefit from public education or state grants, though not universally, as I would expect a sufficient number of people to accept a vaccine. voluntarily to make herd immunity probable without making them mandatory for all. “
Dr. Jeremy Nel, Chief of Infectious Diseases at Helen Joseph Hospital:
“No, i do not do it. Not that I don’t support vaccination 100% (I absolutely do), but the pushback from making it mandatory would probably be counterproductive. I’d rather we aggressively and proactively try to win over anyone who hesitates to get vaccinated. “
Shabir Madhi, Wits Vaccine Professor:
“No, I think it would create more skepticism and not improve acceptance. However, we could create ‘facilitators’ to encourage vaccination. “
Rogue citizen editor Mark Heywood:
“It is important to understand that vaccination is not just about your health, but also about the risk it poses to other people’s health if you don’t get vaccinated. It is as much about social solidarity as it is about individual autonomy. Ubuntu in action. Having said that, I don’t think vaccines should be mandatory, or that we can criminalize not having a vaccine, because that in all likelihood will foster vaccine resistance and conspiracy theories. It is a shortcut. Instead, it is up to the government to invest in meaningful health education and vaccine knowledge, supported by other health-seeking strategies. ” DM
