Is the Government Imposing Too Much Onto Individuals?
The Covid-19 virus has been an issue worldwide for almost 2 years. The economy has been impacted while people's livelihoods have been forever changed. The world wants to go back to normal and the solution to this is getting the vaccine. The vaccine will help to slow down the spread of the virus and will help prevent people from also possibly contracting the virus. With all the positive statistics the vaccine brings, it still presents negative ones. People have refused to get the vaccine stating that they are not going to be forced to listen to the government, believing that it is infringing on their rights.
Currently America’s political climate is extremely divided. On one side people feel that the government is trying to control every aspect of their lives including their health. On the other side, people feel confident in science and believe that they should listen to the benefits of what the government assures them is a safe vaccine. The questions have begun to arise of how we got to the point of lack of trust in the government and will this continue post pandemic?
The FDA and the CDC approved the first Covid-19 vaccine in a 9 month period. When the vaccine was first introduced people were excited and lined up to receive the vaccine during the early stages of the first roll out, “1.7 million Americans are getting vaccinated each day, and the federal government is sending 11 million doses to the states each week”(Feb 15 and 2021). Due to the overwhelming demand for the vaccine, the government had to implement eligibility standards such as age and preexisting health conditions. Although the number of doses being administered was high, we began to see the numbers leveling out, most likely reflected by people who didn’t trust the scientific data or the government's promises. The people who are unvaccinated held the belief that “the vaccines had not been tested enough to guarantee that problems won’t pop up years from now” (Ramjug). Some also believe that they would be microchipped and tracked by the government or they believe that the government doesn’t have the right to tell them to get vaccinated. This rumor emerged after it spreaded on social media saying “it claims that the coronavirus pandemic is a cover for a plan to implant trackable microchips and that the Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is behind it”(Carmichael and Goodman). With the amount false information social media provides many people have unfortunately believed it and followed the rumor to stay unvaccinated.
The data collected by hospital admissions for the Covid virus show “Covid-19 cases flooding the emergency rooms and deaths on the rise among the unvaccinated” (Ramjug). The vaccine was created for the reason to keep people out of the hospital with the virus and make them less sick if they do happen to contract the virus. However, according to Dr. Claudia Corwin of The University of Iowa, “More than 97% of people entering hospitals right now are unvaccinated.” (Aubrey). Unvaccinated people are more likely to get sicker and end up in the hospital with Covid-19 if they continue to choose not to get vaccinated. The omicron variant only solidifies the need for the Covid-19 shots and booster to stop the ongoing pandemic.
A decline in the number of people getting vaccinated began after the rush of people who wanted to get it, got it. The government created the solution of incentives to get more people vaccinated and continue the trend of increasing the amount of people who get vaccinated. The government would reward individuals for getting the vaccine, they would give out money, gift cards, tickets to sports games etc. The “New York City Covid-19 Citywide Information Portal” clearly states, “If you get your first vaccine dose at a New York City-run vaccine location or through the City's in-home vaccination program, you will be eligible to choose one of the incentives listed below, including a $100 pre-paid debit card as of July 30, 2021” (“COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives- Coronavirus”). These incentives were created to encourage people to get the vaccine because a reward is involved. As seen in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, the pill Soma was taken because the government said it was good and made people feel good. This is similar to the Covid vaccine because the government said it protected you and people could receive rewards too. Due to the rewards program the numbers of vaccinated people again rose, however, many people continue to refuse to get the vaccine because of their lack of trust in the government.
With the decline of the number of vaccines being received by individuals continuing to be low even with the incentives of the government provided, mandates began to come into effect. New York City became the first city to implement proof of vaccination before entering bars, restaurants, theaters, etc. These mandates were made to try and almost force people to get the vaccine if they have not done so already because without it they wouldn’t be able to enjoy popular activities while in the city. Mayor De Blasio made the statement “More and more, there’s going to be a reality where, if you’re vaccinated, a world of opportunity opens up to you. If you’re not vaccinated, there’s going to be more and more things you can’t do”(Archive et al.). The vaccinated people would be favored over the non vaccinated people and can and will be able to do more things while in New York City. Public workplaces also began to mandate vaccines for employees as well, many employees saw this as an invasion of their rights. The CDC’s reason for implementing the vaccine mandate in the workplace was “Keep the workforce healthy by preventing employees from getting COVID-19” (“Workplace Vaccination Program”). Although this contributed to a rise in the number of vaccinations many individuals continued to refuse to receive it. Karl Bohnak, a weather forecaster in Michigan was fired from his job because he refused to get the vaccine stating “I felt it was my right as a human being and a citizen of the U.S. to decide what I put in my body” (Hsu). These mandates have caused many people to make difficult decisions. Get the shot and keep their job? Don’t get the shot and possibly lose their job? These decisions have become even more important since the vaccine mandates have made people think “how much is the government overstepping now that people’s ethics are in question”?
The outcome of the 2020 Presidential election increased many people’s lack of trust in the government after many people believed that the results were rigged due to voter fraud. Trump supporters did not agree with the election results because of the expectancy of Trump being reelected. Many Republicans claimed “Trump’s strength was not fully accounted for in many, if not most polls'' (Keeter, et al). A lot of Republicans' lack of trust in the government began to rise after this election. After many recounts occurred “Election officials and election security experts have long been clear: Voter fraud is extraordinarily rare and our system has strong checks in place to protect the integrity of our voting process” (“It’s Official: The Election Was Secure”). Even after the voting process was told it was secure and counted correctly, the lack of trust continued towards the government and the unfortunate January 6 storming occurred where angry protesters and rioters destroyed the US capital because they continued to believe that the election was rigged and not counted correctly. Past presidential elections have never experienced this much controversy and lack of trust in the government before the Covid-19 virus because during this pandemic the government has tried to control everything people do with their bodies. It has also been extremely rare for recount of results to occur, if the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t occur the mail in process part of the election would not be a thing and less people would have been suspicious of the outcome results. As seen in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, John the Savage and Helmholtz Watson started the soma riot because they did not agree with what the government said was correct and that they are trustworthy, similar to the January 6 storming of the capital. Just like many people who refuse to get the vaccine John the Savage viewed soma the same way saying “Throw it all away that horrible poison” (211). John the Savage viewed soma as poison from the government because he believed it was their way to control the people similar to how people view the Covid vaccine. The lack of trust in the government has created fears and anger towards the projected path the government will bring America.
The projected path of America’s status has the evidence to prove that the lack of trust in the government will continue to increase because of the increase in mandates that have been continued to be implemented. The push to get vaccines has made many question why the government wants us to get vaccinated so badly and why they have the right to tell individuals what to put in their bodies. With new variants spreading around, the government felt the need to implement new mandates such as having to wear a mask indoors again. These mandates starting again are hurting the economy because it forces business owners to make sure their customers wear a mask or they get fined. Small business owner Eva Dayton is worried for her business with this new mandate saying “how difficult it has been for small businesses to survive during the pandemic. “I think that that can hurt us even more” (Fadulu and Wong). The government intervention with how business owners run their businesses regarding the new mandates such as requiring vaccination status or wearing masks makes it difficult for the economy to run smoothly. Many consumers who are against getting the vaccine or wearing a mask are turning to online shopping because they do not want to listen to those mandates, which impacts brick and mortar stores heavily when consumers turn to online shopping.
Since March 2020, Americans have been introduced to many new mandates and guidelines regarding how their lives work because of the Covid-19 virus. A growing lack of trust in the government has increased since this pandemic began, many Americans are refusing to get the Covid-19 vaccine because they don’t trust the government's push and assurance of the safety of the vaccine. With the lack of trust in the government from people who refuse to get the vaccine the Covid-19 pandemic is continuing and doesn’t have a projected end because of America’s divided political climate based on the Covid-19 vaccine mandates.
Works Cited
Aldous Huxley. Brave New World. Harper Perennial, 2006.
Archive, View Author, et al. “NYC Mandates Proof of Vaccination for Many Indoor Settings.” New York Post, 3 Aug. 2021, nypost.com/2021/08/03/nyc-to-mandate-proof-of-vaccination-for-many-indoor-settings/.
Aubrey, Allison. “97% of People Entering Hospitals for COVID-19 Are Unvaccinated.” NPR.org, 16 July 2021, www.npr.org/2021/07/16/1017012853/97-of-people-entering-hospitals-for-covid-19-are-unvaccinated.
Carmichael, Flora, and Jack Goodman. “Vaccine Rumours Debunked: Microchips, ‘Altered DNA’ and More.” BBC News, 15 Nov. 2020, www.bbc.com/news/54893437.
“COVID-19 Vaccine Incentives - Coronavirus.” Www1.Nyc.gov, 2021, www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/vaccines/vaccine-incentives.page.
Fadulu, Lola, and Ashley Wong. “New York City Businesses React to New State Masks-Or-Vaccinations Rules: ‘Most People, They Understand.’” The New York Times, 13 Dec. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/12/13/nyregion/new-york-mask-mandate-vaccine.html. Accessed 21 Dec. 2021.
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Hsu, Andrea. “Thousands of Workers across the U.S. Would Rather Lose Their Jobs than Be Vaccinated.” NPR, 24 Oct. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/10/24/1047947268/covid-vaccine-workers-quitting-getting-fired-man
“It’s Official: The Election Was Secure | Brennan Center for Justice.” Www.brennancenter.org, 11 Dec. 2020, www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/its-official-election-was-secure.
Keeter, Scott, Nick Hatley, Arnold Lau and Courtney Kennedy. “What 2020’S Election Poll Errors Tell Us about the Accuracy of Issue Polling.” Pew Research Center Methods, 2 Mar. 2021, www.pewresearch.org/methods/2021/03/02/what-2020s-election-poll-errors-tell-us-about-the-accuracy-of-issue-polling/.
Ramjug, Peter. “Why Aren’t the Unvaccinated Getting Their Shots?” News @ Northeastern, 16 Sept. 2021, news.northeastern.edu/2021/09/16/why-are-people-not-getting-vaccinated/.