WASHINGTON: Anthony Fauci, the official official for infectious diseases, said Wednesday that the government would not make future Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for the general public – although local jurisdictions may make it mandatory for some groups, such as children.
“You do not want to give a mandate and try to force someone to take a vaccine. We never did that,” Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said during a video briefing organized by George Washington University.
“You can mandate for certain groups of people like health workers, but for the general population you can not,” he added, citing the example of the National Institutes of Health, where health workers cannot treat patients without flu.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced hours earlier that coronavirus vaccines, once approved, would be mandatory for everyone in his country, with medical exemptions excluded.
But the decentralized system of government of the United States, and sentiments against vaccines that it had built for decades, had at least made a program of compulsory immunization unlikely.
“It would be unpredictable and inappropriate,” Fauci said.
However, this does not prevent states from requiring a vaccine for children to attend school, as is the case for certain diseases such as measles, although some are exempt from medical or religious reasons.
In any case, President Donald Trump’s administration has pre-ordered hundreds of millions of faxes from six companies, and these will be distributed free of charge.
“You do not want to give a mandate and try to force someone to take a vaccine. We never did that,” Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, said during a video briefing organized by George Washington University.
“You can mandate for certain groups of people like health workers, but for the general population you can not,” he added, citing the example of the National Institutes of Health, where health workers cannot treat patients without flu.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced hours earlier that coronavirus vaccines, once approved, would be mandatory for everyone in his country, with medical exemptions excluded.
But the decentralized system of government of the United States, and sentiments against vaccines that it had built for decades, had at least made a program of compulsory immunization unlikely.
“It would be unpredictable and inappropriate,” Fauci said.
However, this does not prevent states from requiring a vaccine for children to attend school, as is the case for certain diseases such as measles, although some are exempt from medical or religious reasons.
In any case, President Donald Trump’s administration has pre-ordered hundreds of millions of faxes from six companies, and these will be distributed free of charge.
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