Vote NO to government mandates. Such a mandate would be a violation of rights that are meant to be protected by the U.S. Constitution, the Virginia Human Rights Act, and the Virginia Department of Education Organization Act. I feel that this is an issue of freedom under the guise of public health.
If it was truly about health then it wouldn't be mandated as the risks of the vaccine (e.g. cardiomyopathy in health young individuals) outweigh the risk of COVID. The President of the United States, himself, said on August 24, 2021, “Cases among children are still rare….” As for the older population, we’ve all lost count of the headlines about breakthrough infections. We know an EUA requires a minimum of 50% efficacy and that the Pfizer- Bio N Tech’s EUA vaccine called BioNTech has an efficacy rate that drops to 39% after 6 months. The vaccine does not prevent infection for adults or children.
The vaccine isn't necessary to reduce the severity of infection either. On August 24, 2021, President Biden went on to say, “…and severe cases among children are very, very rare.” We all know it’s not the school-aged children who are in the category of high risk of hospitalization and death but the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions who are predominantly adults.
The vaccine isn't even able to reduce transmission. We all know how widely reported it was in July and August that masks needed to be worn by both the vaccinated and the unvaccinated because viral load and transmissibility was “equivalent” in the vaccinated and unvaccinated, to use Dr. Fauci’s word.
Additionally, the long term consequences of this vaccine are not known and cannot be known as yet as these studies are only now just starting so additional and as yet unknown adverse risk may be accrued.
If this and any future FDA -approved COVID vaccine mandate is truly in the interest of public health, why would anyone logically apply the mandate of a vaccine that doesn’t reduce transmissibility, and why apply the mandate to the age demographic that is very, very rarely experiencing severe cases? Additionally, what might be safe for some is not safe for all (e.g. myocarditis risk noted above). Therefore, where there is risk, there MUST be a choice. No medical procedure should be forced.
If this petition #352 is granted, anyone who is religiously and/or philosophically opposed to this particular vaccine will be discriminated against in Virginia.