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COVID-19 Vaccination Restrictions

COVID-19 Vaccination Restrictions

Jessica Hopper

Southern New Hampshire University

ENG-123: English Composition II

Lucas Dietrich

June 20, 2020

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COVID-19 Vaccination Restrictions

As of June 2021, more than 900,000 Americans have died of COVID-19, which is now

under control from the vaccinations. Consequently, the commanding General of Fort Campbell’s

1-101st Airborne Division, MG McGee, has limited travel for unvaccinated soldiers, restricting

them from putting in leave or weekend passes. Yet, on the other hand, placing an incentive of a

four-day weekend for reaching a specific percentage of vaccination amongst a unit’s personnel.

Placing restrictions on unvaccinated personnel should not be supported. People may have

personal reasons to abstain from receiving the vaccination that is currently undergoing research

and trials. After the FDA approves the vaccination, it is unlikely that the Federal Government

will have the resources, or authority, to impose a universal vaccine mandate. The government

implementing restrictions on unvaccinated personnel should not be supported due to the issue

that the vaccinations have not been in use long enough to have completed thorough research,

such as long-term side effects. Once the vaccine receives full FDA approval, it will still be

difficult for the federal government to implement a vaccine mandate.

The Johnson and Johnson vaccine was placed on a temporary pause on April 12 due to

six cases of a rare and severe type of blood clot, called Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis

(CVST). CVST forms in the venous sinuses within the tough outer layer of your brain directly

under the skull called the dura mater. This causes seizures, comas, and could lead to death. Out

of the 6.8 million doses distributed, this blood clot appeared in 6 females ages 18 to 48. The

chance of ending up with CVST being below 1%, makes it arguable that it should be an issue.

Questions have been raised on the vaccination affecting fertility and the CDC promptly

responded it “should” not be an issue. This shows that the vaccination being issued to the public

has not been tested long enough for us to be aware of all the side effects, and we do not possess

information on how the vaccine will affect the body long term. After the pause being lifted,
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military installations have not resumed providing doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine,

only offering the Moderna and Pfizer. This temporary pause and lack of availability afterward

continuously proves that these vaccines have not been tested long enough to be fully reliable.

Hence, they should not be placing restrictions pushing soldiers to receive the vaccine which

could potentially cause life-threatening conditions. Knowing the adverse effects of what you are

distributing is essential because of the effects it could have on a person’s life and could result in

lawsuits.

“Houston Methodist was the first company in Texas and possibly the country to make

COVID vaccines mandatory.” (Bob Nevans, 2021) Houston Methodist began to require

personnel to be vaccinated, even if working from home, or risk losing their jobs. In result, one

hundred seventeen employees have decided to take legal action. The hospital’s director of

coorperate risk, Bob Nevens has spoken up about the issue in an online petition on change.org

stating, “My civil liberties have been trampled on. My right to protect myself from unknown side

effects of these vaccines has been placed below the optics of ‘Leading Medicine.’” Nevans has

since been fired from the cooperation “after being given just fifteen days to take the COVID-19

vaccine”. According to 21 U.S.C. 360bbb-3e1Ai “Appropriate conditions designed to ensure that

individuals to whom the product is administered are informed-” and “Of the option to accept or

refuse administration of the product, of the consequences, if any, of refusing administration of

the product, and of the alternatives to the product that are available and of their benefits and

risks.” The lawsuits have since been expunged due to hinges on the stated federal law codes.

This is questioned by The Nuremberg Code (1947), due to the fact that while the vaccine has

been tested in clinical trials, the personnel currently receiving the vaccine are still being studied

to find unknown problems caused by the vaccinations. The Nuremberg Code was created based
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on the war crimes from the Nazi doctors to Jewish prisoners in WWII, to require “voluntary,

informed consent of the human subject” under medical experiments. Until the COVID-19

vaccinations have received full FDA approval they will remain under research, therefore

arguably putting the recipients under research.

December 11, 2020, “the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued the first

emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine for the prevention of coronavirus disease 2019

(COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in

individuals 16 years of age and older”. (FDA, 2020) Before requesting EUA authorization, Pfizer

inc. conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled international study with 37,586 participants. Of

these participants, 18,801 received the vaccine, while 18,785 received the saline placebo. The

vaccine was 95% effective in preventing the disease, but we only see the short-term

effectiveness. Participants were tracked for only two months after receiving the trial, meaning

data is not available to decide how long the vaccine will provide protection, nor is there evidence

that the vaccine prevents the transmission from person to person. In time, the vaccine will

receive full FDA approval, and we will have sufficient evidence on the long-term effects and

effectiveness. There have also been studies and surveys proving that different races, ethnicities,

and health complications can affect a person’s willingness to receive the vaccination.

Studies show African Americans are less likely than Caucasians (47% vs. 79%),

Hispanics are more willing than Caucasians (80% vs. 79%), and females are less likely than

males (72% vs. 79%) to receive the vaccine. These results could be related to ethical, religious,

or medical reasons underlying a person(s) gender or race. Even after the vaccination is FDA-

approved, a vaccine mandate is expected to “backfire spectacularly” (Dr. Dorit Reiss, 2020).

This is due to several reasons. Dr. Reiss states it perfectly in her article saying, “once we have an
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approved vaccine, we will not have enough doses,” because, “we will be producing tens of

millions of doses- not the hundreds of millions needed to cover the United States.” This will

result in certain groups being prioritized to receive the vaccine, which will not support a

universal mandate. Once a mandate is passed it will likely be challenged in court, and it is

doubtful that the Federal Government has the authority to impose one.

In conclusion, the government placing restrictions on a vaccine that is still under trial and

research will end up being difficult to mandate once all research is complete is simply

unconstructive. While some people already refuse to receive the vaccine, “more than a third of

Americans would refuse a free, FDA-approved vaccine if it was ready today.” (Dr. Dorit Reiss,

2020). The Army, in particular, is restricting soldiers to radius limitations, denying leave passes,

and offering long weekends to vaccinated personnel to try influence personnel to get vaccinated.

If the Army were to do so on a vaccine that has finished trials and research and is a universal or

country-wide vaccine, it would be justifiable. We, however, have no way of knowing what we

will find as we continue the study of the vaccines, and if the vaccine will get far enough to be

attempted to mandate or receive full approval, so taking away the privileges of Americans should

not be supported.
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Works Cited

Commissioner, Office of the. “Joint CDC and FDA Statement on Johnson & Johnson COVID-19

Vaccine.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, www.fda.gov/news-events/press-

announcements/joint-cdc-and-fda-statement-johnson-johnson-covid-19-vaccine.

Kelly, Bridget J., et al. “Predictors of Willingness to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S.”

BMC Infectious Diseases, BioMed Central, 26 Apr. 2021,

bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-021-06023-9.

“Fort Campbell Commander Warns Unvaccinated Soldiers That Their Summer Travel Will Be

Limited.” WPLN News - Nashville Public Radio, 12 May 2021, wpln.org/post/fort-

Reiss, Dorit. “Why a COVID-19 Vaccine Shouldn’t Be Mandatory.” Bill of Health, 15 Sept.

2020, blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2020/09/15/covid19-vaccine-mandate-

compulsory.

Office of the Commissioner. “FDA Takes Key Action in Fight Against COVID-19 By Issuing

Emergency Use Authorization for First COVID-19 Vaccine.” U.S. Food and Drug

Administration, 12 Dec. 2020, www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-

takes-key-action-fight-against-covid-19-issuing-emergency-use-authorization-first-covid-

19.
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Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. “Emergency Use Authorization for Vaccines

Explained.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 20 Nov. 2020, www.fda.gov/vaccines-

blood-biologics/vaccines/emergency-use-authorization-vaccines-explained.

Savulescu, Julian. “Good Reasons to Vaccinate: Mandatory or Payment for Risk?” Journal of

Medical Ethics, 1 Feb. 2021, jme.bmj.com/content/47/2/78.

Goodman, B. (2021, June 1). Texas Hospital Workers Sue Over Vaccine Mandates. WebMD.

https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210601/texas-hospital-

workers-sue-over-vaccine-mandate.

Legal Information Institute. (n.d.). 21 U.S. Code § 360bbb–3 - Authorization for medical

products for use in emergencies. Legal Information Institute.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/21/360bbb-3.

Nevens, B. (n.d.). Covid vaccine should not be mandatory or termination. Change.org.

https://www.change.org/p/houston-methodist-covid-vaccine-should-not-be-mandatory-or-

termination/c/817072818.