Mandatory vaccination for Covid-19 – Is it right?

 

From Dr I Lourdesamy

Covid-19 is reported to have killed over 6 million people and infected 300 million worldwide. It is claimed that more would have died if they didn’t take the vaccine. Given this, is the above question even relevant? Yes, it is.

The number of deaths and infections from Covid-19 is irrelevant to the question raised here. The question needs much closer scrutiny than the superficial treatment it has received.

The nexus of the question is the right of the state to mandate its people to take certain vaccines, purportedly for their own good and to stop or slow down the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants.

The action of the state is premised on the theory that it has a responsibility and duty to protect the lives of its citizens. Individual preferences have to be sacrificed for the larger good. The state is the arbiter in deciding the balance between the community and the individual. This is a delicate role for democratic governments – how much do you infringe on the rights of the individual?

In the case of Covid-19, the Malaysian government has taken various measures to deal with the spread of the virus, which include lockdowns, travel restrictions and getting vaccinated. These measures eat into the liberty and freedom of the individual, leading to protests in some countries.

In this piece, the focus is on mandatory vaccination.

Statements from the government are clear that it wants everyone, including children, to be vaccinated. Sanctions are imposed if you do not vaccinate. People have been told that they would lose their fully vaccinated status if they do not go for a booster shot. Does this go too far and infringe on the rights and liberties of the individual?

Ethical, medical and legal objections can be mounted against forced vaccination. The general rule in health is the informed consent of the person before anything is administered to him or her. This is not how the Covid-19 vaccines are administered. There is too much coercion and fear in getting people vaccinated. There is not enough open and truthful discussion of the pros and cons of taking the vaccines and other options available to deal with the virus.

In my view, the government stands on weak grounds on mandatory vaccination. The policy of mandatory vaccination may have merit if the science behind the vaccines is clear. But this is not the case. Research findings on the Covid-19 vaccines are not conclusive. There is much confusion and debate among medical experts and scientists on their efficacy and effects on the health of those who get vaccinated.

There are reports of serious health problems after vaccination. The pro-vaccine group argues that such cases are very low. One report stated that only six out of one million children vaccinated developed some health problems. It is pointed out that statistically this is very low and need not alarm us. But people are not statistics. If your son or daughter were among the six affected, would your thinking be statistical?

It was reported that the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency received reports of 42 deaths among 13 million booster dose recipients, although they said there was no causal link to the vaccine. Do we celebrate because the number of deaths is low or anguish at the loss of lives?

The involvement of Big Pharma in the development and distribution of the vaccines has added suspicion to the objectivity of the case for the vaccines. There is doubt even about the integrity of key players like the World Health Organization.

The negative data on the vaccines is growing, especially on the health of people who get vaccinated. The real side effects of the vaccines will only be known in the future. The defenders of the vaccines argue that this is a crisis situation. The data we have is sufficient to act. Otherwise more will die.

Yes, maybe. But shouldn’t we give the benefit of the doubt to those who are cautious and do not want to take the vaccines? What right do governments have to “impose” the vaccine on people when there is still so much uncertainty among the experts on its veracity and long-term consequences?

For various reasons, governments and policymakers have ignored this question. A more open approach with options may lead to better solutions. Forcing everyone to vaccinate may not be the answer.

An interesting observation about Covid-19 is that there is a strong counter force against shutdowns and closed borders. The adverse economics of such actions are strongly presented to policymakers. The economic lobby for opening businesses and borders is strong. There seems to be no similar lobby to review policies on vaccines.

This is due to the influence of Big Pharma on governments and politicians. Sure, there are anti-vaccine protests but they don’t seem to have the same policy impact on governments as the behind-the-scenes economic lobbies to open the economy. The fact that opening the economy and borders will increase Covid-19 infections is acceptable to governments as a risk that has to be taken to revive the economy. No similar concession is made to those who do not want to get vaccinated.

There are other “exemptions” to the SOPs. Physical distancing is ignored to enable politicians to hold elections, even though the data indicates a spike in infections after elections. There are SOP exceptions for religious and social celebrations. The SOPs are broken for private functions of politicians and VIPs. Yet when it comes to vaccines, everybody must get vaccinated.

What makes it hard to understand the government policy is that vaccination is not a cure for Covid-19. The vaccines only stimulate the immune system of the body to combat the virus. The vaccines do not even prevent you from getting Covid-19. Someone vaccinated can still catch Covid-19 and spread the virus to others. The data seems to indicate that if you are vaccinated, it is less likely for you to catch Covid-19 and, if you should catch it, it is likely to be less severe.

If the vaccine does not cure Covid-19 or prevent you from getting it, why is there so much push to get everyone vaccinated, including children? Shouldn’t this decision be left to the individual?

Theoretically, everyone should be allowed to catch Covid-19 and build their immunity against the virus. But this may cost too many lives. Therefore, the argument goes, it is best to get everyone vaccinated to build herd immunity against the virus.

There are many issues related to herd immunity. But for our purpose here, should we pursue herd immunity at the expense of individual choice? As we move from pandemic to endemic, is there a need for compulsory vaccination?

The Omicron virus has been found to be “mild” although it spreads fast. The large number of cases reported recently of “infections” from the Omicron virus is a red herring. It hides the truth behind the numbers.

It is more like the flu. In most cases, you rest at home, isolated, for a few days until you are okay. The data shows less than 0.5% of Omicron cases fall in Category 3, 4, or 5. This means more than 99.5% of the cases are mild and do not need hospitalisation. They can be handled at home.

If this is the nature of the virus in the endemic phase, a lot less strain will be placed on the public and private health systems. The argument that everybody must be vaccinated to avoid putting pressure on the country’s health system will not hold in the endemic phase.

All indications are showing that we will have to live with the Covid-19 virus as we do with other viruses. In this scenario, is there a place for mandatory vaccination? I think not. Many will still opt to take the vaccine. Fine. But the choice should be left to the individual. We are loosening many SOPs on Covid-19. The same policy must apply to vaccination. - FMT

Dr I Lourdesamy is an FMT reader

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.