Alle der kan, bør lade sig vaccinere – for de svagestes skyld, for sundhedsvæsenets og for sundhedspersonalets.
Make vaccinations for Covid-19 mandatory
Everyone who can should be vaccinated – for the sake of the weakest, for the sake of the health service and for the sake of the health staff.
When we moved to the USA, our children, despite having followed the Danish vaccination program, had only 25% of the required vaccinations here. There was a howl and a scream every time we went to the doctor, but eventually the children were vaccinated at the same level as their peers and could then start school.
Here in the state of Washington, children can not be allowed to go to public schools if they are not vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. But the children are generally vaccinated for a large number of other diseases as well, the list was long, it took several months to get the vaccinations that the schools asked for.
There are, of course, exceptions. If the child, for example due to health reasons, such as weakened immune system, can not tolerate being vaccinated. But because the other children are vaccinated, the most vulnerable are protected against the diseases for which other children have been vaccinated. That’s the whole point of vaccines and herd immunity.
Denmark is at the top in Europe when they are asked if they will be vaccinated when the new Covid vaccine is here. But there are still over 20% who say they will not be vaccinated.
Today, the United States rounded 300,000 dead as a result of Covid-19. 100 mio. vaccines from Pfizer are flown and driven at the time of writing to the states, but there are only enough for 50 million, because you have to have two shots in the arm to be covered. Hopefully everything goes smoothly with the approval of the vaccine from Moderna , so we can add 200 million vaccines at the end of the week.
It has long prospects before the population is up to the approx. 70% it takes before one can talk about herd immunity. Until then, we must continue to keep our distance and wear a mask when we travel outdoors.
There are not enough vaccines yet – approvals, production and distribution take time. But if enough is not vaccinated in due course, then there will always be outbreaks in a population, and then we will never get rid of this disease.
If that happens, there will be sections of the population that cannot move in public space. They will pay a high price for the selfishness of others. They will not be able to go down and buy groceries, they will not be able to take public transportation, they will not be able to send their children to school for fear that little Peter will take the infection home to an adult with a weak immune system. And yes, I know very well that the vaccine is not approved for children under 16 (yet), it only makes my point clearer that we adults must be aware of our responsibilities.
In the United States, people get the vaccine for free. Many are grateful for this, they are not used to the state going in and paying for the citizens’ health insurance, as we know it from Denmark.
In Denmark, the population is so privileged that everyone can go to the doctor freely and come to the hospital. That’s good, that’s how it should be everywhere. Health insurance is a human right.
But it is something of a mockery of the health care system if it is to be shut down and if doctors and nurses have to work for the sake of it, if a large part of the population does not want to be vaccinated.
For it may be safe enough for the vaccine opponent not to get vaccinated, but he or she can, without knowing it, infect other vulnerable groups. 40% of those who have the infection do not even know they have no symptoms.
The individual has certain freedoms in society, but society also has the right to take freedoms from the individual if it deems that the individual is a danger to society. I think this should be done in this unique situation and make it mandatory to receive the vaccination, which will hopefully soon be approved in Denmark.
(Google translate)
Danish-American Eyes on Society 