6 Ways To Break Open Your Echo Chamber About COVID 19 Vaccine Mandates

Have you received the COVID-19 vaccine? Why or why not? What are your thoughts on universities, offices, and government organizations mandating the vaccine? In this week’s #SophieSix, we’re bringing you six perspectives on vaccine mandates.

In the United States, anyone over the age of 12 can get one of three FDA emergency use authorized COVID-19 vaccines. According to the CDC, all currently authorized and recommended COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and the best way to stop the spread of the virus is to get the vaccine.  

All three vaccines authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have been thoroughly tested and found to be safe and effective in preventing severe COVID-19. They continue to undergo continuous and intense safety monitoring, according to Johns Hopkins.

At the start of the U.S vaccination campaign, there was evidence of vaccine hesitancy among Gen Z. In an NBCLX/Morning Consult poll conducted in March, 26% of Gen Z respondents said they wouldn’t get vaccinated, and 19% said they aren’t sure whether they would get the shot. In a similar NBCLX/Morning Consult poll conducted in March 2020, 5% of Gen Z respondents said they wouldn’t get vaccinated.

Now that vaccinations are widely accessible, there are conversations about whether or not vaccinations should be required in spaces such as work and school.  Some universities, for instance, have already announced that vaccinations will be mandatory for returning students on campus. As the Delta variant continues to rise, President Biden recently announced a vaccine requirement for about 2 million federal employees. Additionally, major employers such as Google and Facebook announced employee vaccination mandates.

Many scientists argue that widespread vaccination compliance is crucial for achieving herd immunity, ultimately curbing the spread of the virus and avoiding lethal outcomes. However, many people are hesitant to get the vaccine because of potential long-term side effects, distrust of the institutions endorsing it, or lack of access by age or location. Others feel they don’t need it due to their health or other personal factors.

For this week’s #SophieSix, here are six things to break open your echo chamber about the COVID-19 vaccine mandates:

1. Covid Campus Coalition

Covid Campus coalition is an organization that seeks to combat misconceptions surrounding Covid vaccines by providing students with weekly digestible scientific summaries through a plethora of virtual and in-person platforms. The organization has 200+ chapter organizations on college campuses and uses their social platforms to share information about getting vaccinated. The organization is pro-vaccine and aligns with the perspective that getting the vaccine is safe and will help bring campuses back to normal.

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2. Mandatory vaccination policies divide US college campuses

This article covers the debate over whether or not college campuses should require students to get the COVID vaccine. It includes the voices and perspectives of students who attend various U.S colleges and stand on both sides of the issue. 

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3. Tinder launches in-app vaccine advocacy initiative to encourage Gen Z members to get the jab 

The initiative will reach millions of Tinder members across India and connect them with valuable, easy-to-use resources. This article gives insight into the COVID situation outside of the U.S and also explores how tech companies are mobilizing their Gen Z audiences on their platforms.

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4. In the Covid-19 vaccine push, no one is speaking Gen Z’s language by Nicholas Florko

This article describes how vaccine campaigns are failing to reach Gen Z effectively on social media. It includes quotes from Gen Z’ers who have not gotten the vaccine and explores some of the social factors that would make someone more likely to be COVID-19 vaccine-hesitant and why campaigns need to rethink their strategies actually want to engage and convince Gen Z. 

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5. Young adults shun COVID-19 vaccine as White House warns of risks by Ariel Cohen

This article covers vaccine hesitancy among Gen Z’ers, which is the highest among any age group. In addition, it outlines some of the reasons Gen Z’ers have brought up as to why they don’t want to get the vaccine and how public health officials have responded to those concerns.

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6. In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

In this podcast, Andy Slavitt, President Biden’s former Senior Advisor on COVID-19 offers a look at the state of the U.S. vaccine campaign and the pandemic around the world. It’s an important perspective from the voice of someone who was working to stop the spread of COVID on the ground floor of the White House and has offered a scientific voice to the public from the early days of the pandemic. 

What are your thoughts on COVID-19 and vaccination mandates? Learn more and share your thoughts at our Talk Show, POVz, this Tuesday at 8 pm ET! We’re leaning into hard conversations and controversial topics so that we can break open our echo chambers and unify the world. Plus, follow The Conversationalist on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to stay updated on our future events and conversations.