North Texas Daily

When a vaccine for COVID-19 becomes available I firmly believe it should be free for all citizens. Health care is a human right, especially during a global pandemic and we need to think about safety before earning a profit. It isn’t humane to restrict people from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine based on their income. The vaccine should be readily available and mandatory for all humans living in the U.S., regardless of their financial situation.

When a vaccine becomes available the virus won’t automatically disappear, and we need to be careful when administering the vaccine. One solution would be to set up drive-thru vaccination sites, like the COVID-19 drive-thru testing sites. People can simply drive-thru and be vaccinated without paying. If we simplify the process, we can ease into reopening the economy safely. Therefore, I think the free COVID-19 vaccine should be mandatory for everyone. People won’t have a valid excuse not to get vaccinated if they don’t have to pay for it.

We all want to get our lives back to normal and we could get there faster if everyone received a vaccine. Vaccinations are already required for children to go to school, so we should add the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of mandatory vaccinations. Adults shouldn’t be allowed back to work unless they’re vaccinated. This would help enforce vaccinations and limit the spread of COVID-19 while we work to eradicate it.

Currently, there are several vaccines in the works, the most promising one is being developed by Moderna. They will enter late-stage testing on July 27 with 30,000 participants across 87 locations. Their vaccine contains mRNA which acts as an antigen that may induce an immune response to the virus. In May, Moderna released data from an early-stage trial which showed how the vaccine created neutralizing antibodies and made binding properties in at least eight patients. The goal is to have a vaccine available by early 2021, but scientists are still learning about the virus.

While we wait for a vaccine to become available the government should make plans to distribute the vaccine to everyone. Pharmaceutical companies have a habit of gouging prices on drugs that people desperately need, it’s never an appropriate time to exploit illnesses and injuries.

During a global pandemic, the government should step in and purchase the vaccine from pharmaceutical companies. They would distribute the vaccine proportionately to hospitals and pharmacies who would be responsible for administering the vaccine on a large scale. It will take a lot of work, but the result is worth it.

Working together is the most productive option during this difficult time. I think it’s possible to establish a free vaccination system on a massive scale if most people are cooperative. Mandatory vaccinations will take away the option to refuse a vaccine if they want their lives to go back to normal. If we don’t make the vaccine free and mandatory, we can’t make sure most people receive the vaccine. Minor inconveniences are a small sacrifice to save lives and stop the spread of COVID-19.

Featured Illustration: Olivia Varnell