Last week, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared on television to give a late-night speech.
This hardliner who had previously pursued a shooting policy against drug trafficking gangs thought of another thing this time: the coronavirus pandemic and those who refused to be vaccinated, he suggested that they should be forced to stay at home.
“If they don’t want to be vaccinated, they should not be allowed out of the house,” Duterte said. “They may say that there is no law, but should I wait to know that a lot of people will die?”
Although many people are not sure whether Duterte’s threats are legal under the laws of other countries, they represent the toughest end of the problem that governments and policymakers around the world are addressing: how to persuade unvaccinated citizens to vaccinate .
In the global recovery of Covid-19 driven by the Delta variant, governments, companies, leisure operators, and universities around the world have begun to insist on vaccinations. These measures cover a full range of actions, from increasing the number of workers who refuse or stop. Full social participation with multiple test barriers is in line with Duterte’s vision.
In addition, the response to mandatory requirements for vaccines — or softer versions of mandatory requirements, such as passes and passports — vary greatly.
Denmark took the lead in launching a vaccine pass with almost no resistance. However, in Italy and France, these proposals have prompted thousands of people to take to the streets-in some places clashed with the police-to show their opposition to plans that require vaccination for normal social activities, such as dining in restaurants, visiting museums, And cheered in the stadium.
Protests in these two countries continued this weekend, with thousands demonstrating in Paris and other French cities on Saturday, while Italy held a march in Rome, Milan and Naples for the second week in a row.
So far, Germany and the United Kingdom have refused to adopt a package of measures, and vaccination is so popular in Spain that it is considered unnecessary to adopt incentive measures.
However, the escalating momentum behind the vaccine authorization is most obvious in the United States. US President Joe Biden joined major companies including Google, Facebook and MGM Casino on Thursday, as well as the mayors of California and New York. Insist on providing proof of vaccination or testing.
Biden told reporters at the White House: “Too many people are dying or watching the death of their loved ones.” He announced a new set of regulations requiring federal workers to provide vaccination certificates or regular testing and wear. Masks and travel restrictions.
“Freedom comes with responsibility,” Biden said. “So please make a responsible judgment. Vaccine yourself, your loved ones, and your country.”
Biden’s move also received a response from Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday, who announced that “special rules” will apply to Australians who are vaccinated because they pose less health risks.
Experts say that the new global efforts to promote vaccination are driven by a combination of many factors, not only the surge in infection caused by Delta mutations, but also the experience of many countries, including the United States, which have seen their vaccination coverage. Movement is faltering due to resistance to vaccines.
This, in turn, created a new political dynamic that exacerbated the tension between vaccinators who are eager to see a return to their normal lives and those who refuse to be vaccinated—and as a result, created room for more intervention policies.
“What disappoints us is the people who have not been vaccinated,” Alabama Republican Governor Kay Ivey struggled in the state last week. Lowest vaccination rate in the country“These people are choosing a terrible self-harming lifestyle.”
There is evidence that consistent vaccination under certain circumstances, including medical care, can significantly increase the number of stabbed injuries.
In France, within two weeks after President Emmanuel Macron announced that the spread of the virus would extend to restaurants and many other public places, nearly 5 million people received the first dose, and more than 6 million people received the second dose. Agent. Prior to this, the demand for vaccination had fallen for several weeks.
According to the Italian Special Commissioner for Vaccinations, after the government announced its “green pass”, the demand for vaccines in certain areas of Italy has also increased by 200%.
However, different responses to vaccine resistance—from humiliation and coercion, to resorting to altruism, and even incentives to motivate vaccination—have seen bioethicists and politicians struggling to find the right balance.
So far, most countries have chosen the carrot and stick method to make it easier for vaccinated people to obtain employment, leisure facilities and travel.
Another idea is to encourage material incentives for vaccination, such as Biden’s call for US states to provide 100 US dollars (72 pounds) in payment-the Czech government has also adopted this method, and the Czech government provided two extra days to the states on Friday. Vaccinated employees during the holidays.
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis (Andrej Babis) said: “The purpose is to maximize the vaccination to protect yourself from foreign infections.” “This is the main task: vaccination, vaccination, vaccination.”
Written earlier this year BMJ Journal of Medical Ethics, Julian Savulescu, The professor of practical ethics at Oxford University put forward the conditions that he believes should be met by compulsory vaccination or providing incentives, and he prefers the latter to have fewer problems.
As Savulescu pointed out, the argument for compulsory vaccination is usually based on the argument put forward by John Stuart Mill, that the risk of personal behavior harming others justifies the restriction of freedom.
“Due to the severity of the problem at the global level, Covid-19 is almost unique: Covid-19 not only causes loss of life, but various virus control measures also have extraordinary effects on the economy, health and well-being, including lock-in, which will extend Into the future.
“If the four conditions are met, there are good reasons for compulsory (or compulsory) vaccination: it poses a serious threat to public health; the vaccine is safe and effective; compared with other alternatives, compulsory vaccination has higher cost/benefit characteristics [and] The degree of coercion is proportionate. “
However, Savulescu concluded: “It is better for people to voluntarily choose to do good based on reasons, rather than being forced to do so. Constructing rewards and punishments in a fair and equitable way is a way to give people a reason to act.”
Although the fragmentary actions of the United States have attracted the most attention this week, other countries, especially in EuropeAlthough not without resistance, further progress has been made in efforts to increase vaccination at the state level.
In France, which has the most rigorous plan and the furthest progress, since mid-July, places such as cinemas, tourist attractions, and nightclubs all require health passports. Other places start in August and require health passports for long-distance travel. And medical staff.
Although supported by approximately 60% of the population, Macron’s critics condemned the policy as “authoritarian” and the plan was accompanied by the risk of political backlash, such as has been seen in demonstrations in French cities.
At the same time, the policy has received strong support from public health leaders, who condemned vaccine resistance among health workers.
“Our job is to heal people, not to kill them,” said Patrick Pelloux, president of the French Association of Emergency Physicians last week. “We have ethics… and citizens are obliged to vaccinate and limit hospital-acquired Covid infections.”
However, it is worth noting that Macron’s promotion has changed the attitude of one of the most hesitant countries in Europe towards vaccines. Just a few months ago, only 40% of people said they would be vaccinated.
All this reflects the fact that in many countries, attitudes towards vaccination are far more complicated than simple support or opposition, and a large part of the unvaccinated people are easily promoted.
In fact, a recent poll by the Caesars Family Foundation in the United States found that 10% of people are still hesitant, while another 6% said they are waiting for a vaccination request.
