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French President Emmanuel Macron has promised a “vaccine mobilization summer” with mandatory vaccinations for all healthcare workers. Italy, Greece and the United Kingdom are following the same path and intend to make vaccination mandatory for some residents.
After months of disagreement earlier this year over a limited supply of vaccines, European Union leaders today face the opposite problem: the power of the dose, but the willingness of people to vaccinate has diminished.
The debate is fueled by disagreement over how to force Europeans to get vaccinated, and authorities are faced with a host of complex ethical issues: how to protect public health without violating the right to choose and privacy.
With the rapid spread of a highly contagious delta strain, some leaders see a need for tough action to try to overcome a pandemic that has already claimed more than four million lives around the world, not to mention the economic and psychological damage. Others say that vaccinating people by coercion can disrupt and undermine public confidence in inoculation.
“We do not intend to follow the path proposed by France,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “I don’t think we gain trust by giving up what we said before: there are no mandatory vaccinations.”
Their views differ from those of some US agencies, including Michigan-based Trinity Health and Boston’s Mass General Brigham, which have announced that workers will need to get vaccinated.
Across the EU, only more than 40% of the population is fully vaccinated. Significantly higher vaccination rates will be needed to allay concerns about virus activation during the colder European winter months. The German Public Health Institute (RKI) has estimated that 85% of vaccines will be needed to achieve so-called universal immunity. People from 12 to 59 years old and 90%. People over 60 years.
Meanwhile, relaxed travel and leisure restrictions allow for larger gatherings, leading to a sharp increase in the incidence of younger unvaccinated people.
In France, health certificates showing a negative test or immunization result will also be required in theaters, cinemas, sports facilities and festivals involving more than 50 people. Starting in August, this requirement will also apply to restaurants.
To further encourage people to get vaccinated, Macron will end free trials in the fall for those who want to travel or attend events without getting vaccinated.
The reaction was dramatic: A record crowd of 926,000 people signed up for the vaccine last Monday through the medical reserve site DoctoLib. After the president’s speech later Thursday, 2.6 million people signed up for the vaccine, 62 percent of whom were registered. They were under 35 years of age.
However, the idea of mandatory vaccination remains controversial. It has been criticized by some medical experts and French protesters have clashed with police this week in response to Macrono’s actions.
“It’s the beginning of a slippery slope,” said Allyson Pollock, clinical professor of public health at Newcastle University, as lawmakers voted in favor of mandatory vaccinations for nursing home staff in English since October. “This repeals 120 years of vaccination laws and policies based on trust, medical confidentiality and informed consent.”
In Italy, Covid vaccines are mandatory for healthcare workers since May. There is growing support for a wider use of the EU digital vaccination certificate, which is currently only mandatory for major events, some trips abroad and visits to nursing homes.
A Euromedia Research poll published in La Stampa newspaper on Thursday found that around 68 percent of Italians would advocate that only fully vaccinated people can visit restaurants, hotels, cinemas, trains and planes. About the same proportion would support the removal of medical personnel who have not been fully vaccinated by mid-September.
Other countries, including Ireland, also associate eating in restaurants with the vaccine. Deputy Prime Minister Leo Varadkar acknowledged that the plan was “imperfect”, but stressed that there was no better way out.
In Greece, nursing home workers must get vaccinated before August 16 or they will lose their jobs. As of September 1. Vaccinations will be mandatory for all healthcare workers. Since last Friday, access to restaurants or bars requires a health certificate with a negative test or vaccination test, although the popular terraces and patios will remain open to everyone during the summer.
After nearly a year and a half of pandemic restrictions, the hospitality business is trying not to recover anyway. Health certificates will be another headache for workers in the sector, said Orestis Beikos, owner of Botella Bar, located in a popular nightlife area about a 15-minute walk from the Acropolis.
“You can’t constantly act like a cop and look down on customers,” Beikos said. “It’s definitely not easy.”
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