logo

Do vaccinated people have valid reasons to hope everyone in their community also gets vaccinated?

Wednesday, September 29, 2021
By Lisa Freedland
This Fact Brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
YES

Public healh scientists and leaders cite a number of reasons to encourage as many members of a community as possible to get vaccinatons against serious communicable diseases.

No vaccination offers 100% protection, so having more people vaccinated helps reduce the risk of serious illness for all.

Some members of the population—infants, children, the immunocompromised—may not be able to gain adequate protection from a vaccine, so hope to rely on widespread vaccinations of others to reduce their own risk.

The goal of “herd immunity” reflects these considerations, which have prevailed in the U.S. since court decisions in the early 20th century upholding authorities’ power to make certain vaccinations mandatory.

The goal underlies continuing efforts to inoculate more people against COVID-19, despite objections based on personal preference, religious grounds or claims of immunity acquired through previous infection.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
The Gigafact Project launched in May 2020 as an in-house team at Repustar to explore new ways to support more useful and productive conversations across social and digital media. Gigafact’s editorial team continues to collaborate with Repustar developers and researchers, working to improve formats, presentation standards and engagement strategies.
FACT BRIEF BY
facebook
twitter
email
email