Dr. Fieseher: If you’re against mandates, you’re against vaccines
Currently, many Republicans in the New Hampshire Legislature are proposing legislation that would prevent municipalities, school districts and businesses from mandating COVID vaccines. These anti-vaccine mandate proposals are irresponsible and will lead to more COVID illnesses and deaths. They will also hurt the state's economy, especially the tourist industry that relies on both healthy workers and good PR to be most lucrative.
The Republican legislators opposing vaccine mandates claim they’re protecting individual rights and freedoms. Some go as far to say that they aren’t against vaccines, only the mandates. Both claims are flawed.
Vaccine mandates have nothing to do with rights or freedoms. We already have vaccine mandates for polio, mumps, measles, hepatitis B and chickenpox. The combination of vaccines and vaccine mandates have reduced those diseases significantly over the past few decades. The greatest example of the effectiveness of a vaccine mandate is with smallpox, a disease which no longer exists (except in a few laboratory freezers) because of a world-wide vaccination effort to eradicate it.
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The claim about being for vaccines but against mandates is also flawed. It’s true that individuals who get vaccinated have a reduced rate of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. The effect would be like putting on a seat belt when riding in a car, only the wearer would be protected. But the full power of vaccines happens when more than 80% of the population are vaccinated (so-called “herd immunity”). That would be the equivalent of installing a traffic light at a dangerous intersection. This “herd immunity” would reduce not only your chance of death or injury, but everyone else's as well. This is especially appropriate during a viral pandemic, as it decreases the possibility of an even more deadly viral mutation.
For a vaccine to be most effective, we need every eligible person to get it. Presently, only about 55% of NH residents are fully vaccinated. This accounts for the rise in the number of COVID infections and why a mandate is needed. You can’t say your pro-vaccine if you’re anti-mandate. If you’re against mandates, you’re against vaccines.
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Legislation to prevent COVID vaccine mandates is dangerous political theater. Our laws and regulations are there to protect the public from harm. We may dislike having to wait a minute or two at a stop light or disagree with the speed limits set in a school zone or highway, but those forms of mandates all have the same purpose: to protect the public. Imagine what would happen if NH was without traffic lights, stops signs or speed limits. We might live freer, but we would most surely die younger. Outlawing vaccine mandates would have a similar effect.
No one of any age likes to get a few shots in the arm, but it beats another year of battling face masks, self-isolation, and forced home schooling. Preventing mandates will continue all of that plus the added stress to our health care systems, our hospitals, and our mental well-being. Our quickest and best option for getting rid of this mess is to mandate the COVID vaccines.
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We are all sick and tired of this pandemic and how it has affected every aspect of our lives. But sick and tired is better than sick and dead. Here in Dover, our voters overwhelmingly chose school board members who supported judicious use of mask mandates as an effort to protect our children and our families from the spread of COVID. Now that vaccines are available to children starting at age 5, shouldn’t our local school boards be allowed to consider vaccine mandates as well?
The COVID vaccines are a true miracle of modern science, as they were developed and distributed in less than 10 months after COVID-19’s genetic sequence became available to US manufacturers in February 2020. Like a Christmas gift, these vaccines have been available since Yuletide last year. Don’t let a few legislators tarnish that gift.
James Fieseher, MD of Dover is a recently retired family physician.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dr. Fieseher: If you’re against mandates, you’re against vaccines
