Proposed legislation in New York could make a COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for the vast majority of its population.
Linda Rosenthal, a state assembly member and Democrat who represents some of Manhattan’s West Side, introduced a bill that would mandate vaccination “for all individuals or groups of individuals who, as shown by clinical data, are proven to be safe to receive such a vaccine” if public health officials determine that New Yorkers “are not developing sufficient herd immunity from COVID-19.”
“At the time a vaccination for COVID-19 is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research vaccine product approval process and the New York state clinical advisory task force, such vaccination shall be required to be safely and effectively distributed in accordance with the department’s COVID-19 vaccination administration program,” Assembly Bill A11179 read.
As of this writing, the bill is being reviewed by a committee. It is also unclear what constitutes “sufficient herd immunity” for the vaccine to not become mandatory.
The first Americans to be vaccinated will receive the vaccination within the next few days. Other nations that have developed and started distributing COVID-19 vaccines include Russia and the United Kingdom. But many remain skeptical about the vaccine, specifically if or how it will be enforced and whether or not the potential side effects are worth it.