LETTER TO THE EDITOR / CARROTS & STICKS CAN DEFEAT THE PANDEMIC

By Roger C. Kostmayer

Reality is irrefutable and even Fox News has finally begun to accept and disseminate the painful truth about Covid and the need for everyone to get vaccinated.  The unvaccinated will be infected, will suffer and many of them will die needlessly.  The rest of society, a majority, will also suffer because the unvaccinated prevent herd immunity and the return to normal lives, healthcare and economy.

It’s inevitable that our society moves toward requiring vaccination, or “mandates”, because they work.  We defeated polio, small pox, measles, diphtheria and other serious diseases by requiring vaccinations.  By contrast, there is no mandate for flu shots, and the result is 35,000 deaths a year.  Houston Methodist Hospital made vaccination mandatory for staff and employees:  98% complied, 2% had health exemptions and 0.6% quit or were terminated.  Similar results were achieved in higher education, sports, business and restaurants that used both incentives and mandates.

In spite of the fact that the importance of saving lives and following prudential scientific advice is not universally accepted in the US, both government and the private sector must act to protect the health and welfare of all the people.

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