AMA encourages COVID-19 vaccine mandates to defeat pandemic

The following statement is attributable to:
Gerald E. Harmon, M.D.
President, American Medical Association

“The FDA has approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and the meticulously collected evidence from more than 100 million vaccinated Americans is clear: the vaccines we have to defeat COVID-19 are safe, effective, and the only way out of this pandemic.

“For months, physicians have advocated for vaccination against COVID-19, urging our patients to take the step that will save their lives and protect those closest to them. States have even offered numerous incentives—from lotteries with a chance to win a million dollars or scholarship money to cash prizes. Vaccine supply is ample, and for months, access has been easier.

“But these incentives have not gotten us where we need to be. With the highly transmissible and more virulent Delta variant wreaking havoc and emergency departments once again overwhelmed, physicians and all frontline health care workers need help. The way to regain the upper hand in this fight is requiring vaccinations—specifically vaccine mandates.

“The simple fact is unless a significant percentage of our population is vaccinated against COVID-19—we could be stuck fighting this virus for many more months or even years to come. Now is the time for the public and private sectors to come together, listen to the science, and mandate vaccination.

“The AMA has robust policy on vaccine mandates - a tool that has been used across the U.S. and around the world for generations to defeat polio, measles, and other vaccine-preventable disease. And now, we urge similar mandates to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic. Physicians and frontline health care workers have taken tremendous risks during this pandemic, and we continue today risking our own safety and well-being—putting our families at risk—to treat mostly unvaccinated people afflicted with COVID-19. Help us win this fight, follow science, and end this pandemic by requiring vaccination.”

The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care.  The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.