Spiro Pantazatos

Vaccine mandates throughout US colleges and workplaces are based on outdated beliefs that the current vaccines will: 1) reduce community spread of the coronavirus, 2) reduce one’s chances of being infected with coronavirus, and 3) reduce likelihood of severe COVID symptoms and death if infected with the coronavirus. However, vaccines do not appear to reduce community spread. They likely offer little, if any, lasting protection against infection, hospitalization and death, despite current misleading media and health department reports. The published clinical trials and real-world studies that support the current vaccines have issues and limitations concerning their efficacy and safety. Emerging evidence suggests vaccination may paradoxically increase the rate of spread and risk of infection, symptom severity and death both during vaccination and also after full vaccine protection has worn off. Given the much lower risks of COVID in younger adults relative to older adults and reduced efficacy of vaccines over time and against new variants, continuing the vaccine mandates may take or impair more lives than save from COVID in these groups. The protective benefits of vaccination do not outweigh the non-trivial risk of death and (small but still alarmingly higher than normal) risk of life-altering injury, especially in younger age groups and in individuals with few occupational and health COVID risk factors. There is a growing global evidence base for alternative COVID prophylactics and therapeutics, as well as new vaccines that could potentially prove safer than those currently on the market. Vaccine mandates should be lifted, and public health policies should be adjusted to better promote personalized medicine, informed consent, and individual choice regarding COVID risk management. Links to online petitions to lift the COVID-19 vaccine college and workplace mandates and vaccine mandates for NYC educators are provided.