As various covid-19 vaccines become widely available all across America, we are about to see a sharp decline in the number of people choosing to get vaccinated.
This will happen for several reasons. First, most of the people most eager to get the vaccine have most likely done so already. So in essence, everyone who desperately wants a vaccine can get one relatively easily. The long lines and lack of appointments have faded and most everyone can get a vaccine within 48 hours once they do a simple Google search in their area.
Next, we have the reports of people feeling quite ill after their initial vaccine shots. So those Americans who were on the fence about getting the vaccine are most likely to decide against it now that they’ve heard friends and others tell them the vaccine caused them to feel sick for a day or two. It may not seem like much, but it’s enough to dissuade someone who is on the fence already.
In addition, we have a situation where most people feel like they are at the tail end of the pandemic. With that in mind, they figure they might as well just wait it out instead of getting an unproven vaccine for a virus that’s likely to fizzle out in a few months. Combine that with the fact that the news is reporting other variants of covid-19, and the decision to get an outdated vaccine seems even less appealing.
Last but not least, we have news out that the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been halted in the U.S.. Of course the media is trying to downplay the halt as no big deal, but clearly it is yet one more reason Americans will put off getting vaccinated if they are on the fence.
For these reasons, it’s logical to believe that the number of Americans choosing to get vaccinated will start to drop sharply. It’s also logical to assume that health officials probably are already aware that this will happen, and they have specifically planned for it.
When it does happen, this is when the talk of vaccine passports and mandatory vaccines will come to the forefront of the news cycle. Just like the mask debate of 2020, vaccines will be the new wedge issue. Any new cases will be blamed on the “anti-vaxxers” who are ruining the pandemic recovery with their refusal to get vaccinated. It will be the exact same playbook as was used to try to blame every rise in cases in 2020 on people not wearing masks. Despite the fact that mask compliance was over 95% in every major city.
So now you can see the playbook before it happens. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see this shift start as soon as the end of April. Already, lines for vaccines have dried up and appointments are plentiful. In many states you can simply walk right in and get vaccinated without any wait time at all. So it has already begun to happen.
The real question is going to be whether Americans will be willing to go through a second year of fear mongering and divisiveness instead of just simply moving on with their lives and tuning out the “experts” who have been wrong so many times before.
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