Vaccine mandates promote safety, herd immunity, and a strong battle against COVID-19. Misinformation about vaccines has been spreading rampant around social media, so it’s important to consider the facts before forming an opinion: the vaccine is undergoing the most intensive safety moderations the U.S. has ever had for a vaccine. Vaccine carriers are required to submit serious allergic reactions to VAERS (the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) which then closely monitors issues in the masses. The science behind it has been around for decades, so the technology in the vaccine is already tested and deemed safe. It’s been a popular fear on social media that COVID vaccines have been causing infertility. The CDC has announced that the vaccine does not cause such issues; pregnant women and women trying to get pregnant have had zero issues with fertility, as well as men. 

With the facts, it’s easier to notice vaccine mandates are vital, especially for workplace and school environments. If you or someone around you is not vaccinated, there’s a greater risk of falling incredibly ill or even dying since the vaccine helps to minimize the effects of COVID in your body. The vaccine trains your immune syste to fight off the virus, so there’s an extra layer of protection if you’re ever to become sick. There shouldn’t be much push back for the COVID vaccine mandates now, especially in Colorado, since the Colorado State Law (Board of Health rule 6 CCR 1009-2) states “all students attending Colorado schools and licensed child cares to be vaccinated against certain diseases, unless an exemption is filed”. Nobody protests that, so why should the COVID-19 vaccine be any different? All public facilities in the U.S require individuals to wear clothes and shoes in order to enter. Very few protest “no shoes, no shirt, no service” and state that it’s an infringement on personal freedom, so why are reactions toward vaccine mandates so intense? 

Polio was a huge issue back in the 1950s. It left people paralyzed. It could be spread from person to person, just like COVID. It wasn’t until the vaccine for Polio was required back in 1955 that the outbreak rates for Polio greatly diminished and soon disappeared. The same could be for COVID. If enough people get vaccinated, COVID could successfully become eradicated like Polio and the viruses before it.

While COVID might not seem dangerous to kids and younger adults, the Delta variant is affecting kids as young as 12 and under — the same group who can’t get vaccinated yet. ICUs in Alabama are completely full due to a rise in Delta cases — a man there died of heart complications due to being denied at 43 ICUs since all were filled up with COVID patients. Colorado’s ICUs are filling up as well, and we don’t want to follow in Alabama’s footsteps.

If more people get vaccinated due to the mandate, pressure on ICUs would soon relieve and allow them to open up to patients with issues not related to COVID. It’s unfortunate to think that many of these deaths could’ve been prevented with one simple poke, a simple mandate, and simple courtesy. It isn’t just safety for you, but safety for your family, your neighbors, and your nation. It’s not meant to divide us politically, but to help keep those who can’t get it, like children and those with compromised immune systems, from losing their lives. The mandate isn’t meant to control us, it’s to keep us and our loved ones safe. What’s the harm in that?