How will the Covid-19 pandemic end? The answer is surprisingly straightforward: when 60 to 80 percent of the population is immune. Globally, that’s more than 4 billion people, including up to 262 million Americans. How do we get there? By making Covid-19 vaccination mandatory.
We have a powerful tool to achieve immunity: safe and effective vaccines. The vaccines now available have gone through clinical trials in tens of thousands of volunteers before approval by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. To control the spread of Covid-19, we need the majority of Americans to take a vaccine. This might not happen if vaccination is optional, like wearing masks was earlier in the pandemic.
Some argue that we should allow more and more people to become infected and acquire “natural” immunity. This is a terrible idea. Not only would that cause many more deaths and increased economic damage, but there is no proof that survivors will have lasting immunity.