Value of choice
The 2021 will be the year of science, the year of vaccines. While the actual vaccination campaign could go on longer, a significant portion of the global population will be vaccinated in 2021 or atleast be given the option to do so. Experts and governments alike are frantically working at this moment to set up frameworks and ground rules for everything from who gets the vaccines first to how they will be distributed and stored. But one area of enquiry that is somewhat left out is the question of what happens when someone 'exercises their right' to refuse the vaccine on grounds that are not strictly medical in nature.
Vaccine scepticism is always a possible and significant obstacle for any widescale inoculation campaign. But the 'science vs freedom' sentiment has been particularly notable during the current pandemic with rampant misinformation on the pandemic, the vaccines and the 'nefarious cabals' that are running the whole show in the background. For the most part, governments have hesitated to take a hard-line stance with its Covid control messaging with something as simple as compulsory masking being a late development in most countries. Vaccines are even more prone to get lost in translation as governments try to balance a firm message with enough leeway to not polarise opinion. Many world leaders have had to walk back their mandatory vaccine messaging when faced with any possibility of public opposition. It must be noted at this point that, by and large, confidence in science and vaccines is likely at a high point in the current scenario. Most people are expected to be willing to receive a vaccine at some point in the near future. The problem here is determining whether the marginal vaccine sceptics are in significant enough numbers to derail the vaccination campaign. The nature of this crisis means that unless everyone is safe, no is safe. While experts have indicated that it is likely not necessary to innoculate every single human being to push back COVID-19, most have still recommended blanket vaccination campaigns that aim to cover everyone to be on the safe side. Experts have acknowledged that it is not the limited number of hardcore antivax hoaxers who are going to be the problem for vaccination methods, it is those who have changeable views on the vaccine, its safety and necessity that will determine the success of the campaign. It is precisely these casual sceptics that must be the target of awareness and confidence-building programmes.
As of this moment, the situation is erratic. While some parts of the world are reporting greater confidence as governments start inoculation campaigns, others are having a moment of doubt. But experts like Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee has stated that the grim findings of these vaccine confidence polls should not be a significant cause for concern, Banerjee contends that without significant ideological objections, most vaccine sceptics can be turned towards the path of reason. He expects that peer pressure and community influencers will play a huge part in breaking the barriers of hesitation in due course of time. The real concern for Banerjee is that people will grow either too complacent or forgetful in regards to the second shot of the vaccine. With the doses being weeks apart, it is necessary to incentivise people to return for the second shot. In the US, he has specifically mentioned that people may be more open to the second shot if the first one came with a gift card.
Speaking of the Indian context, surveys have shown that a new wave of vaccine scepticism has arisen as case counts have steadily gone down. Commentators say that this is not a result of any growing concerns over the safety and efficacy of the vaccine but of simple over-confidence. Simply put, many people who were interviewed have repeatedly stated that they have no need for the vaccine as no one around them was sick anymore and they were confident that they would stay healthy.
Circling back to the original question of what happens when someone does end up refusing a vaccine, there are some early indications. Spain has announced that it will be keeping a registry to share with the EU that will record those who refused the vaccine, While this date will be kept confidential, there is every expectation that it will come into play somehow. In the UK, Nadhim Zahawi, the MP responsible for the vaccination campaign has stated that it is entirely possible for restaurants, bars cinemas, etc., to deny people entry in the future unless they have a proof of inoculation. Experts also say that there is a very real possibility that employers too could make vaccination a mandatory requirement for employment, making the so-called choice to not vaccinate less of a practical reality.
