Point Article by Sophia Hysaw, Opinion Editor
Counter Point Article by Elly Herrick, Editor-in-Chief
Point Argument
With many businesses and universities mandating COVID vaccines, one can’t help but wonder will this finally be the end of our almost two-year, worldwide pandemic?
Critics of vaccine mandates say they trample people’s civil rights and argue it is unethical to force someone to get a vaccine.
Though, with the mask mandate now becoming optional in numerous schools and businesses across the country, this plan for vaccines is more important now that it is the last thing from stopping the spread.
These are the steps needed to end this pandemic once and for all. The government and scientists tried countless methods to decrease COVID cases, but with all their failures this is the most viable and effective solution left.
While it is still within everyone’s right to do what they choose with their bodies when it comes to medical attention, many people have finally decided that this is the only way to get back to a healthier and freer environment.
If as many people as possible would finally become vaccinated and decrease the spread of this virus, then cases would ultimately drop, as well as the risks that come with socializing and the virus mutating into a more deadly strain.
It is time to consider the needs of others, such as those with autoimmune diseases, young children and elderly.
Vaccine mandates are the way to do it. Places that have imposed them have seen success and efficiency.
Valuing our safety and health, and that of others around us, is the most important thing that we must do now more than ever.
We are tired of the suffocating restrictions on travel, community, and life. It is time to open back up and be free to leave our houses without the risk of becoming infected or infecting others with a deadly virus.
Counterpoint Argument
As we sat in quarantine hoping for light at the end of the tunnel, is the vaccine the answer we were looking for or just another faulty bulb? As someone who is fully vaccinated with the booster, I see the value in getting vaccinated, but I also understand the need to have government regulation separate from our bodies.
Vaccines should be mandated with health care workers and people working and interacting with immunocompromised people. If people are in the hospital or in nursing homes, they don’t really choose to be there. They are there because they need care. But if they walk into a coffee shop, it’s a choice and those people shouldn’t be required to be vaccentined.
For some people, the vaccine is confusing and uncertain, so the mandate can be hard for people to navigate. They may not feel comfortable getting the vaccine if they are not certain of what it will do to them long-term, but if they don’t they’ll lose their job.
If health care workers decide to not get the vaccine, not only do they need to find a new job, the amount and quality of care will change at that hospital. We’ve all known what it’s like to wait longer at restaurants because of staffing shortages, but imagine that happening in hospitals and nursing homes where more lives are at risk.
Everyone’s situations are different and everyone should be able to consider whether or not getting vaccinated is right for them. I believe that the vaccine will combat COVID, but it should not be forced on people.