The difference is that in the US, there are major political leaders who are opposed to government efforts to improve vaxxing rates, other than “Please, pretty please!”. Can’t speak for France or the UK, but in Canada, the only leader of a party that I can think of who took that type of position was Bernier, who didn’t win a seat.
Sure, people will make up their own minds and take their own positions, and that has political consequences. But if the political leadership is by and large in the same place, across party lines, then the opposition doesn’t take on the same partisan political flavour.
Such as:
" Red COVID: In U.S., the coronavirus’ partisan pattern is growing more extreme"
When death rates from covid start to show a strong correlation with how individual counties voted, that is significant.
100% pro vaccine unless for bonafide medical reasons the recipient cannot. This disease has 10-20 times the death rate than “ordinary” influenza. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.
There have been a few fairly strong mandates in my neck of the woods. Health care workers, provincial and federal government workers, ferries, many businesses.
Mostly they give a firm date and anyone not vaxxed or without an exemption is put on unpaid leave. Eventually fired if they remain unvaccinated.
Many dire warnings of staff shortages were made.
When it came down to it, looks like about 1% chose the unemployment route. In hospitals, most of these 1% were part time and/or non professional cleaning or food staff.
Overall the mandates have worked quite well. The 1% are noisy, unhinged and full of contradictory conspiracy theories. We are better off without them. They were probably horrible to work with anyway.
My workplace instituted a vaccine requirement, but gave people a looooong time to comply; I think the deadline was last month. We had one hold-out who ultimately resigned, but frankly it was a relief to see him go. He’s been a terrible secretary–sloppy work, takes forever, bad attitude. But HR is terrified of being sued and we don’t pay enough to have qualified applicants beating down our door, so we never got around to letting him go. His departure might be the best thing that’s come out of this pandemic for me, and I’m including the new ability to work partly from home in that ranking.
100% agree with vaccine mandates. Only way to totally eradicate Covid but it appears like it will never happen as there’s enough anti Vaxers out there to spoil it for the large majority who want to be vaxed.
I’m wondering if semi annual boosters will be the norm for at least the foreseeable future.
It’s going to be interesting next month when school starts again after Winter Break. Our district has stated (as has the state) that all high schoolers must be vaccinated to return to in-person instruction. I know already a number of my students will be switching to on-line because their parents are right-wing nutballs. I think we will probably follow the lead of LA Unified. If they wimp out I’m sure we will to, and postpone the vac requirement until next school year. This is a mistake I hope we don’t make.