Community College Vaccinations

In the light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the US is lagging behind in vaccination rates. According to WHO, only 50% of the American population has received both doses of the vaccine (Ayers et al. 2). In order to improve the situation and encourage vaccinations, colleges and campuses are discussing the possibility of making vaccinations a requirement for face-to-face learning. These measures are strongly urged by the governments of several states, such as Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania (Ayers et al. 5). This essay will discuss the necessity of mandatory vaccinations for universities and address some of the arguments put forth by the opposition.

Colleges, schools, and other public education facilities are some of the most at-risk locations for individuals visiting them. Classes force students to stay together for prolonged periods of time, breathing the same air, thus making infection a much more likely outcome (Saxena 34).

While the herd immunity strategy can account for one or two cases out of a hundred being present, it cannot work if half of the students do not have any vaccines. COVID-19 is notorious for being spread without any visible symptoms, meaning that any non-vaccinated student has a much higher likelihood of being a carrier (Saxena 72). In addition, greater exposure to various individuals carrying COVID-19 is correlated with the severity of the disease. Finally, students are almost always surrounded by a great number of people in various locations, be that the classroom, the campus, or their dorm, meaning that the chances of an infected student spreading the disease are much higher (Saxena 35).

One of the common arguments against vaccination is that it is unsafe and ineffective. According to the latest field reports, over 90% of all COVID-19 patients that have been arriving at the hospitals are unvaccinated (Price-Haywood et al. 2535). At the same time, the safety of the vaccine has been tested by the FDA and confirmed by numerous studies dedicated to the matter. Most complications associated with vaccines are temporary and not life-threatening. Individual conditions might cause unintended side effects, but those can be diagnosed by the local healthcare specialists, with specialized consideration given to individuals that, for medical reasons, cannot receive a vaccine (Saxena 104). Thus, the argument about the unsafety and inefficiency of vaccines is objectively false and misleading, not having any substantial evidence to back itself up.

Another argument against vaccination is that it is a personal choice, and measures restricting access to public facilities for vaccinated people are inherently oppressive and against peoples’ rights. “My body – my choice” is often a slogan of such campaigns. This argument would have been valid, had COVID-19 been a condition that developed as a result of personal choices (like some forms of obesity) and was not contagious. A person that did not vaccinate, however, endangers not only themselves but those around them in several ways. First, unvaccinated students are much more likely to be carriers of the disease even when they are seemingly well (Saxena et al. 75).

By doing so, they endanger other people by increasing their chances of contracting the disease. Even vaccinated individuals are not 100% guaranteed to not contract COVID-19, and the more risk they are exposed to – the less effective the vaccine becomes (Saxena et al. 119). Finally, balancing the population at a 50% vaccination rate is dangerous in the long term as it allows the disease to evolve into more powerful versions of itself, like the Delta-version, which is resistant to vaccines and the existing immune responses (Saxena 150). Therefore, the choice to become vaccinated is no longer in the realm of personal decision-making, as failure to comply will endanger everyone in the short and long term.

Based on the findings and conclusions made above, mandatory community college vaccinations are a necessary and desired policy. It will increase vaccination rates, reduce the number of hard COVID-19 cases, and save lives. Failure to do so would endanger college students and the nation in general by contributing to the development of the deadly Delta version of COVID.

Works Cited

Ayers, Chelsea K., et al. “Disparities in H1N1 Vaccination Rates: A Systematic Review and Evidence Synthesis to Inform Covid-19 Vaccination Efforts.” Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 3, no. 25, 2020, pp. 1-12.

Price-Haywood, Eboni G., et al. “Hospitalization and Mortality Among Black Patients and White Patients with Covid-19.” New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 382, no. 26, 2020, pp. 2534-2543.

Saxena, Shailendra K., ed. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Therapeutics. Springer Nature, 2020.