Vaccination is the most effective way of protection against COVID-19: a highly contagious disease often followed by a set of serious complications. The effectiveness of this measure directly depends on the number of people vaccinated, since together, they generate a collective immunity for their sector of society. Health professionals around the world are in agreement that mass vaccination is essential for the protection of public wellbeing and the ultimate return to the normal way of life (Bloom et al., 2018). By logical extension, vaccination can be perceived as a form of moral and societal duty, particularly in times of an international crisis.
Naturally, the questions arise in relation to body autonomy and a person’s right to choose their medical procedures. It is important to specify that mandatory vaccination for all groups of the population can be seen as an excessive measure for this very reason. Nevertheless, when it comes to the professionals in medical care operating in environments with high risks of contagion, the perspective of individual freedoms is no longer sufficient. As doctors are ethically and legally bound by their oath of doing no harm while practicing, they should be vaccinated while working at the current times.
Furthermore, the vaccination of healthcare workers is necessary from a strictly practical standpoint as well. Many hospitals have either been entirely transformed into COVID-19 centers or are in the process of treating and housing the patients with the virus. This factor transforms them into a high-risk zone, with the employees exposed to the virus on a daily basis (Biswas et al., 2021). On an institutional level, hospitals must ensure their employees are vaccinated to avoid a shortage of staff amidst the pandemic. On a personal level, healthcare professionals should receive their vaccine to lead their daily lives in peace, with the risk of COVID-19 almost nullified.
References
Biswas, N., Mustapha, T., Khubchandani, J., & Price, J. (2021). The Nature and Extent of COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy in Healthcare Workers. Journal Of Community Health. Web.
Bloom, D., Fan, V., & Sevilla, J. (2018). The broad socioeconomic benefits of vaccination. Science Translational Medicine, 10(441), eaaj2345. Web.