WHO: Time for European vaccine mandate is now

WHO: Time for European vaccine mandate is now
WHO: Time for European vaccine mandate is now
Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

In early November, the WHO warned that Europe was “at the epicenter” of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official, Europe should seriously consider enacting mandatory vaccination against coronavirus, in light of the latest COVID-19 resurgence on the continent.

WHO’s executive director for Europe, Robb Butler, said it was “time to have that conversation from both an individual and a population-based perspective. It’s a healthy debate to have.”

Butler added, however, that such “mandates have come at the expense of trust, social inclusion” in the past.

In early November, the WHO warned that Europe was “at the epicenter” of the COVID-19 pandemic, while earlier this week, the global health authority said the continent accounted for 60% of the world’s COVID-19 infections and deaths in the last week. The WHO believes the pandemic’s death toll in Europe could reach 2 million by March 2022, if the spread of the virus continues unchecked.

However, the former director of the WHO’s Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Department, Anthony Costello, advised governments to tread carefully on making vaccination mandatory for fear of “repelling a lot of people who lack trust in government and vaccines.” Instead of mandates and sweeping lockdowns, he advocated for measures like mask-wearing and working from home.

Across Europe, only 57% of people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to statistics provided by the Our World in Data website.

Last Friday, the Austrian chancellor, Alexander Schallenberg, announced vaccination would be mandatory for all residents, bar those eligible for a medical exemption starting from February 1, 2022. Those refusing the shot could expect hefty fines, according to media reports. However, there has not yet been a decision on the exact age from which Austrians will be required to get inoculated. Austria is the first country in Europe to impose the sweeping mandates, with most other nations on the continent so far making vaccination mandatory for certain employees only, with healthcare and public workers being first in line. 

However, there are a handful of countries around the world that have also mandated COVID-19 inoculation for all their citizens. Indonesia took the step in February, and Micronesia and Turkmenistan followed suit in the summer.

About the author

Avatar of Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson has been the assignment editor for eTurboNews for mroe than 20 years. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is originally from Europe. He enjoys writing and covering the news.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
Share to...