The news that many employees are choosing to quit or risk being fired rather than submit to the mandates could be the development that shifts public opinion. Nurses, police officers and others are already quitting their positions instead of getting the shots, and vaccination deadlines are fast approaching in a number of crucial fields. As many as 12,000 members of the Air Force are defying the military’s mandate to be fully vaccinated by next week, putting them potentially at risk of court-martial and dishonorable discharge. That could compromise the national defense as the service lacks enough pilots or technicians to keep our planes aloft. How will public opinion react if that happens?

Mass firings or suspensions could directly affect ordinary Americans’ lives, too. New York City’s police, firefighters and sanitation workers have been protesting the city’s vaccine mandate, which takes effect Friday. As many as 10,000 police officers might be unvaccinated and at risk of being suspended or fired. If that happens and crime spikes as a result, it’s doubtful that New Yorkers will take it in stride as a cost of combating the coronavirus.

Already snarled supply lines could get even worse if these mandates kick in across the transportation and shipping industries.