A coronavirus vaccine should be mandatory

Test, test, test. The only way that individuals should be allowed not to get the vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 is to prove they’ve been infected with it. Testing for the presence of the virus, the antibodies to it, or both, will need to be proven, accurate, and available to everyone.

Make influenza and coronavirus vaccinations mandatory for public school children. Only five states — New York, California, Maine, Mississippi, and West Virginia — have eliminated religious and philosophical vaccination exemptions for children entering public kindergarten. This applies to the standard childhood immunizations only and does not include influenza. In fact, only one state, Connecticut, requires influenza vaccination for public school attendance. Only a few states require flu vaccination for day care and pre-K attendance. While I respect individual health care choices and acknowledge that some citizens will not avail themselves of the protection afforded by a vaccine, the enormity of the Covid-19 pandemic demands that the welfare of the community take precedence and all children be vaccinated against the virus that causes this disease.

Require vaccination for workers in direct-contact jobs. Health care workers are the only adults in the U.S. required either by state law or individual employers to be vaccinated against the flu, though they can file an exemption and instead wear a mask at work from October through March.