Statsministern vaccin
Nearly two years since Chinese doctors first observed mysterious new cases of pneumonia, Covid is still with us. On top of that, what has been described as the most worrying variant yet has emerged.
Mandatory vaccinations: Three reasons for and against - BBC
Could mandatory vaccinations be a way out? Covid vaccinations are already a requirement for public life in many parts of the world. If you are a French doctor, a New Zealand teacher or a Canadian government employee, getting your shots is essential to go to work. Indonesia can deny benefits to people who refuse jabs. Greece is making them compulsory for the overs.
Austria is set to go further still, with a plan to introduce mandatory vaccinations for all by February. This would not mean Austrians being forcibly injected. There will be medical and religious exemptions.
But the bulk of the remaining unvaccinated population face fines for not getting their shots. With Germany planning a similar move it is not a debate that is going away. I spoke to public health and other experts to get a sense of what's at stake. There's a very simple argument in favour of mandating Covid vaccinations.
Fakta om vaccinerna mot covid-19
By getting vaccinated you reduce your risk of serious illness. Less serious illnesses mean fewer deaths, and less pressure on hospitals. Historically, immunisation campaigns have seen huge success, eradicating smallpox and drastically reducing mortality levels in diseases such as polio and measles. Mandates softer than the one proposed by Austria have achieved their goal of raising vaccination levels.
Fakta om vaccinerna mot covid-19 - Folkhälsomyndigheten
France's pass sanitaire , required to access restaurants and other public spaces, is credited with boosting rates to the extent the government hopes it can avoid compulsory vaccinations. Here in London, in July anti-lockdown demonstrators took to the streets to demonstrate against a lockdown that had been lifted just hours earlier. The point is, whatever a government does, it will face opposition.
Covid restrictions in particular have drawn protests around the world and mandatory vaccinations are a step beyond, say, a mask mandate. While there will always be some who will never be persuaded to get vaccinated, it is possible to be sceptical about vaccinations without being an anti-vaxxer. An Austrian study distinguished between the Governments must weigh whether the benefits outweigh the backlash.
But as Cathleen Powell, a law professor at the University of Cape Town, argues, there is a legal case to be made. In Europe at least, the momentum behind mandates reflects a frustration that after months of vaccinations and widespread availability there remain significant unvaccinated populations. There's a stark difference in vaccination rates across the continent from west to east.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said it was now time to think about mandatory vaccinations, although she stressed individual governments would decide. While there is a strong health argument in favour of mandatory vaccinations, it is not the only way to boost levels. Austria won't be making vaccines mandatory until February and is still using other means. There's no shortage of jabs and low take-up has been blamed in part on misinformation.
The government has floated making vaccines compulsory in some circumstances, but the number of vaccines administered has risen rapidly since the discovery of the Omicron variant. It's not just governments that provide nudges. Compulsory vaccinations are not the only form of mandate.