**TL;DR** - **Those who do elect not to get the vaccine are facilitating the continued spread of coronavirus.** To say that the Covid-19 has disrupted our lives would be an understatement. It has caused unprecedented upheaval and its effects will be felt for years to come. However, the vaccines have provided us with the chance to begin to return to some semblance of normality as they have been shown to have [high levels of effectiveness] (https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01505-x). This includes offering [good protection against the Delta variant] (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/vaccines-highly-effective-against-hospitalisation-from-delta-variant) after two doses. Accordingly, the vaccines offer us the best chance to finally emerge from the nightmare we have been living through every day for the last 18 months. Yet, there are still some people who are resistant to getting a jab. Indeed, the proportion of those who do not want the vaccine is surprisingly large. There is a [myriad of reasons] (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/05/the-people-who-wont-get-the-vaccine/618765/) that people cite for not wanting the vaccine. Among the most common arguments are that they have already had coronavirus and therefore have antibodies, they are young and so the virus won't affect them or that the vaccines constitute part of perceived liberal overreach. Only the first argument has any scientific theory behind it, but it does not mean that the vaccine cannot still benefit those people since it is [unknown] (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/faq.html) how long the protection lasts after recovering from Covid-19. The other arguments do not have any merit as they rest on flawed logic. Accordingly, the reasons for getting the vaccine outweigh the counter arguments. They are the best way for us to get our normal lives back and so we should jump at the opportunity to get the jab.

**TL;DR: Yes, vaccinations are invasive and bodily autonomy should be protected in law. However, individuals still have a moral responsibility to protect others by choosing to be vaccinated.** As we are all free to choose whether to get the Covid-19 vaccine, doing so should be seen as a moral responsibility. Although it is natural to be wary of something of which we cannot know the full long-term effects, getting vaccinated is still clearly the most rational option based on the knowledge that we have about the dangers of coronavirus, the effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing it, and the unlikeliness of long term effects, (based on research by WHO, CDC and similar organisations). Therefore, fear of the unknown shouldn't be used as an excuse, especially when lives are at stake. While this research suggests that getting the vaccine is the best option for protecting your own health, the most significant benefit of vaccinations is their effectiveness in decreasing rates of infection and transmission in the population as a whole, as well as preventing new mutations. Covid-19 is a shared problem, and by not getting vaccinated one is directly responsible for adding to the suffering of others, contributing to the loss of life and increasing strain on our healthcare system, and society/the economy at large. Getting a vaccination is certainly an intimate, personal choice to do with bodily autonomy, and for this reason, perhaps enforcing vaccinations by law is problematic. However, the fact that there is a potential personal sacrifice involved for those who are less willing does not negate the fact that they have a moral duty to do it anyway, based on the severity of the situation and the evidence that we have for the effectiveness of the vaccine.

You don't even know if it works!!! No one does. It hasn't been proven!! Responsibility lies in wearing a mask when you go in public buildings, not going out if your sick, taking care of yourself etc but it DOESN"T mean getting vaccinated..its a choice...I am not going to shoot up chemicals in my body because some moron on the news said it's possible it will work but not guaranteed.....I've taken precautions since Covid began and have not gotten sick....Its stupid to believe that just because you got a vaccine your safe!! get educated and inform yourself instead of listening to lies!!

**TL;DR To refuse to get the vaccine not only hurts others around you, but yourself** It has been said many times that you should get the COVID-19 vaccine in order to protect more vulnerable people who either do not have access to the vaccine, are immunocompromised, or cannot receive it themselves for whatever reason. Further to this, refusing the vaccine is a disservice to the effort your body commits to continuing to survive. Some reasons why it is responsible to get the COVID-19 vaccine include: • Being vaccinated protects you from developing severe symptoms, so that you are less likely to die or be hospitalised if infected • [Vaccinations offer more protection from new strains of viruses](https://fortune.com/2021/07/08/covid-delta-variant-mandatory-vaccines-companies/), and thus can help contain the spread • Vaccinated people are likely to have freedoms realised quicker, such as [international travel](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57763173) • [Side effects are mild](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/they-didn-t-want-get-covid-19-shots-what-convinced-n1272740), and so are much less severe than the virus itself • Vaccines can help protect against [long covid](https://metro.co.uk/2021/07/07/5000-people-a-day-could-get-long-covid-by-end-of-summer-14888187/), which has been debilitating the lives of young people for the entirety of the pandemic Therefore, if people do not wish to get vaccinated for a sense of collective responsibility, then they should for a personal one.

**Those who can get vaccinated should to protect others, it is a civic duty** - The only people who shouldn't get vaccinated is people who can't eg. have been told by their doctors it is unadvised due to medical health issues such as allergies or immunosuppression - Other people who can get vaccinated should want to help vaccinated to help protect those who can not - It is fine to have vaccine hesitancy and ask questions about the vaccine but all the science shows it is way safer than having corona virus, the reason it could be developed so quickly in comparison to other vaccines and treatments is because there was and is so much funding for vaccine research for the COVID-19 vaccine - The vaccine reduces the chance of COVID transmission and getting sick from the virus this reduces the likelihood of a more harmful mutation arising which would cause more death and lockdowns - The vaccine is one tiny thing, that literally takes less than 15 minutes and could prevent you getting sick or your family or prevent you passing it onto someone who may get very sick or even die from the virus. It could prevent so much grief and loss and also help to ease up the burden on the already stretched NHS

**We can look at The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male as a valid reason for mistrust in healthcare.** The Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male was an unethical study in which black men were used as human test subjects to observe the effects of untreated syphilis. It was under the guise that they would receive free healthcare with a number of additional benefits. As this report outlines [There is no evidence that informed consent was gained from the human participants in this study.]( https://biotech.law.lsu.edu/cphl/history/reports/tuskegee/complete%20report.pdf) This study only came to an end in 1972 so it is no wonder why one would be hesitant to put their trust in the healthcare system and subsequently receiving the vaccine. This fear in relation to the covid vaccine has been picked up in a number of articles. [History Drives Distrust in Covid- 19 Vaccines for Black Americans in Tuskegee.]( https://www.wsj.com/articles/history-drives-distrust-in-covid-19-vaccines-for-black-americans-in-tuskegee-11614269633) New York Times article [Did Infamous Tuskegee Study Cause Lasting Mistrust of Doctors Among Blacks?]( https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/18/upshot/long-term-mistrust-from-tuskegee-experiment-a-study-seems-to-overstate-the-case.html) We can hardly call one's fear irresponsible. This is not to say I am personally against receiving the vaccine but I believe it is important to acknowledge opposing viewpoints.

Some people cannot take the vaccine for moral or religious reasons. For instance many vaccines are not vegan and they have all be tested on animals. They are also not compatible with some religions such as Rastafarianism. People's right to follow their conscience on this matter is extremely important and it is actually irresponsible to deprive them of this right.