Compulsory COVID-19 vaccines are not the solution Coronavirus virus pandemic

In the Northern Hemisphere, the arrival of winter has brought concerns about COVID-19 to the forefront, with several countries reporting high case rates and warning of increasing pressure on hospital services.

The situation in Austria, a small EU state, was approaching a daily infection rate of 15,000 in mid-November, favoring the nuclear option; in addition to re-establishing a three-week lockout, it made adult vaccinations mandatory from February 2022 onwards. an attempt to increase the national vaccination rate, which currently stands at 66 percent.

Omicron exacerbated the emergence of the latest variant of the COVID-19 concern by putting pressure on governments to make decisive interventions before the health system overflows. With its unusually high mutation levels, the Omicron variant can lead to faster transmission and greater resistance to our current vaccine crop. Fortunately, initial research in South Africa suggests that existing vaccines and promoters should provide a measure to protect them from hospitalization or worse. In addition, modern methods of development and production should allow the creation of an adapted vaccine in more than a few months.

But many developed countries where vaccines are available have had a relatively modest reception. EU members in Romania and Bulgaria, for example, have less than 40 percent of the total vaccine. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to the president of the United States, believes that lasting protection of the community can be reached after it hits nearly 90 percent of the population.

Thus, as they try to alleviate the threat posed by high case rates and the spread of Omicron, the government is implementing new policies to increase vaccination in their countries.

The possibility of applying for vaccination passports to enter certain places and shops and, as a result, making the lives of unvaccinated people more limited is already politically quite enjoyable across Europe, despite widespread protests in Italy, Croatia and many other countries. The Netherlands.

Politicians in many countries may therefore be tempted to follow in Austria’s footsteps and implement vaccination orders in the near future, reduce hospitalization rates and avoid more economically harmful cuts. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already called for a debate on compulsory vaccinations, and German Chancellor Olaf Schulz has expressed his support for vaccination orders.

However, government-mandated vaccination orders can have serious long-term consequences: they can lead to social unrest, increase distrust of the government, and violate society as severely as the pandemic itself.

In Austria, the bill suggested that people without vaccines would be “called in” to some administrative authorities and could eventually face fines of up to 3,600 euros (about $ 4,060). With millions still unaccounted for, hundreds of thousands of Austrians are likely to spend a lot of time reprimanded. Tens of thousands of Austrians have already protested, feeling overwhelmed by the government.

Most people who are hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine are not loud, slightly restless, and are concerned about implementing follow-up chips through their owner. Many of them are genuinely concerned about introducing something new into their body, or simply want to better understand the risks and benefits of owning one. But vaccine orders can change that. If governments impose vaccines on people who question vaccines in a heavy way, they may be more vulnerable to false news or conspiracy theories and end up joining more extremist anti-vaccine movements.

Instead of forcing the vaccine on people, policymakers should try to understand why people are in doubt and focus their efforts on changing their thinking. This can help encourage longer-term vaccination, which will be especially important if COVID-19 vaccine enhancers are needed.

The moment a government recommendation becomes a forced requirement, it changes the power dynamics between the state and the individual. The mandates imposed by the government feel inherently malicious, even though the intentions behind them are entirely good. Therefore, the World Health Organization (WTO) has also warned against the implementation of COVID vaccine orders if all other viable options have not been tried to convince people.

Vaccination orders can cause some people to become less confident in their organization, which can further reduce their chances of getting vaccinated. An examination on attitudes to vaccination in Europe, published in the 2014 Social Science & Medicine Journal, has shown that those who trust the organizations involved in the vaccination process are more likely to suffer blows, and those who do not suffer from information deficit and become more vaccinated. in doubt.

The ongoing debate over vaccination orders in rich countries is also worrying in the face of the continuing lack of access to vaccines by the poorest countries. In fact, the proportion of people receiving a dose of COVID-19 vaccine is now more than 76% in high-income countries, but only 6% in low-income countries.

COVAX – a target for the reduction of the gap between vaccines targeted by the WHO and high-income countries – initially aimed to distribute 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine to countries that could not be acquired independently in early 2022. But this great ambition has since been revised to 1.4 billion doses, partly due to supply problems. The WHO is now concerned that the creation of Omicron will lead to a greater impact on richer countries, which will exacerbate the inequality in the distribution of vaccines.

On the plus side, COVID-19’s growing tools are constantly growing, which can help countries with low vaccination rates. Antibody treatments, including the recently approved Xevudy drug approved by GSK in the UK, have been found to reduce high-risk hospital admissions and deaths by almost 80 per cent. Molnupiravir, an easily consumed anti-virus drug, has been found to reduce the risk of serious illness by at least one-third.

In an ideal world, it would be taken by all those who have access to a safe vaccine that will protect against COVID-19 and help alleviate the spread of the virus. But in the real world, where many people are afraid of vaccines and suffer from misinformation, accepting them all is not an easy task.

Forcing people to get vaccinated by imposing harsh penalties and restrictions, however, can do more harm than good. It can confirm the fears of the people that the “government elite” is against them, or that they are losing their rights and freedoms. All of this could make those who are hesitant about the vaccine today even more reluctant to follow the advice of the authorities in future health crises.

Public health programs need public permission to be successful. Governments currently considering implementing vaccine orders against COVID-19 should therefore be aware that, although tempting in the short term, these policies could have serious consequences for everyone in the long term.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial attitude of Al Jazeera.