Bar Association Urges Making Coronavirus Vaccine Mandatory [POLL]
NEW YORK — A vaccine for the new coronavirus is on its way to New York, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and the first batch of 170,000 doses is supposed to arrive Dec. 15, assuming the federal government approves the product manufactured by Pfizer.
The delivery will begin a huge government operation, Cuomo said, one that hasn't been seen in generations.
Based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said, frontline health care workers and elderly people in long-term care facilities should be among the first to receive the vaccine.
And then who? The CDC said that decision will be made when a vaccine is approved and will be based on whether or not the supply of doses is limited. Under consideration are health care personnel, workers in essential and critical industries, people at high risk for COVID-19-related illnesses due to underlying medical conditions and people 65 years of age or older.
Assuming that, down the road, enough doses of one or more vaccines are available for distribution and there's no "waiting list," some employers are wondering if vaccinations can be mandated for their employees.
Labor lawyers are being asked that question more and more, and it is broaching legal and practical issues, the Washington Post said.
Brett Coburn, a labor and employment partner with Alston & Bird, told the Post that there are going to be concerns about the safety of any vaccine, and with the way politics have entered into the issue, he wonders if someone who's not willing to wear a mask is going to be OK having to take a shot in the arm.
Weighing in on the topic, on Nov. 7, the New York State Bar Association passed a resolution urging New York to make taking the vaccine mandatory — even if people have religious, philosophical or personal objections, according to the association's website.
The association's resolution says the government should only make the vaccine mandatory if voluntary vaccinations fall short in producing enough population immunity to protect the public's health.
However, the state should conduct a public awareness campaign urging voluntary vaccination before considering making it mandatory, the association said.
Mary Beth Morrissey, who chairs the association's Health Law Section's Task Force on COVID-19, said the public health law recognizes that one person's health can and does affect other people.
"It may become necessary to require that certain individuals or communities be vaccinated, such as health care workers and students, to protect the public's health," she said.
President-elect Joe Biden said Thursday that he does not believe the vaccine should be mandatory.
"I'll do everything in my power as president of the United States to encourage people to do the right thing and when they do it, demonstrate that it matters," he said, according to The Hill.
Now it's your turn to weigh in on the issue. Vote in our unscientific poll and tell us what you think in the comments.
This article originally appeared on the Yorktown-Somers Patch
