Readers respond: Vaccine mandates make sense

Letters

As I read the Sept. 4 edition of The Oregonian, three stories stood out: “Oregon State Police, firefighters sue Gov. Kate Brown over COVID-19 vaccine mandate,” “Oregon state trooper posts video from patrol car defying state vaccine mandate; placed on leave,” and “Providence to park mobile morgues at Portland-area hospitals amid COVID-19 surge.”

If you are in an occupation that puts you in direct contact with other people, it is reasonable to expect that you will not have a communicable disease and be a health threat to the community you serve and to your co-workers. Thus, many occupations have vaccine requirements and screenings, such as TB testing.

We are in a worldwide pandemic with millions dead and in a variant surge. When hospitals set up morgues in freezer trucks in the parking lot, it seems pretty emergent and a vaccine mandate seems reasonable in this situation. Many can’t get vaccinated because of medical or religious reasons, but to simply refuse because you have a right to do so seems a poor excuse when people are dying – especially if you can help prevent it.

Colleen Cunningham, Portland

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