Change Your World Week Winter 2022 (Archived)

            With the recent uprising of the Coronavirus pandemic, and the development of the Coronavirus vaccine, vaccine mandates have become a very popular discussion topic throughout the world. There is very little opposition available on the topic of requiring a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The world is no where near complete vaccination statuses due to vaccine hesitancy and the possibility of little to no side affects for some that do contract COVID-19.

           These vaccine mandates are being put into place in many different areas: health care workers, businesses, teachers, students, and more are all being affected by this.

           So... how can we help? 

We can help to fight for our choice by promoting alternatives to the COVID-19 vaccine. For the people that are unwilling to become vaccinated for COVID-19, they should be allowed other alternatives that are safe for themselves and others. These alternatives can include mask mandates, limiting in person activities, doing work or school from home, and more. These options are already in use by many places and work just fine. These can be promoted in schools, universities, event places, places of work, and anywhere else that requires a vaccine for entry.

The article, COVID-19 Safety Options Other than Vaccine Mandates, provides reasonable alternatives for those unwilling to become vaccinated against COVID-19. Places of work can encourage vaccination without mandating it. For employees willing to become vaccinated, they can offer incentives or host vaccination centers. For employees unwilling to become vaccinated, they can offer work from home alternatives, reduce the amount of people in the office at once, require masks, provide additional time off due to COVID-19 encounters.

Overall, it should be every individual’s own choice whether they receive the COVID-19 vaccine rather than it being mandated for everyone. 

            The opposing side of my argument recommends everyone that is able to become vaccinated to do so. The CDC’s article, “Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine reports that the vaccine can lower your risk of contracting and spreading the illness, that it has passed safety measures when being tested, and that it can protect those who have already contracted the illness, and that you can participate in normal activities again.

            This is untrue for a few different reasons. Many people are still becoming ill with COVID-19 after their vaccine and after already having it before. Many places still require masks or other forms of safety precautions which is not how things were before the pandemic. Those in favor of a vaccine mandate strongly believe that this vaccine is the answer to the end of the Pandemic. This virus is here to stay, just like all other viruses.

Follow the link below to sign the petition against a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all those affected!!

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/349/067/710/put-a-stop-to-a-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-for-all/#updated

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html

Egan, J. (2022, February 4). Covid-19 safety options other than vaccine mandates. SHRM. Retrieved March 6, 2022, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/covid-19-safety-options-other-than-vaccine-mandates.aspx

Lamparski, J. (2021). Protestors holding signs against a vaccine mandate . https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/vaccine-refusers-hesitancy-mandates-fda-delta/619918/. The Atlantic. Retrieved March 26, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/08/vaccine-refusers-hesitancy-mandates-fda-delta/619918/.