The Growing Specter of Compulsory Vaccination

Originally published on www.thevaccinereaction.org

The pace of discrimination against people who have opted not to get a COVID-19 vaccine is increasing around the world as the ominous specter of compulsory vaccination grows. On Nov. 19, 2021, the Chancellor of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, announced at a press conference that, beginning on Feb. 1, 2022, COVID vaccinations will be compulsory for everyone in Austria over 12 years old. Those who refuse to get a COVID shot will be fined up to $4,000. Those who refuse a booster shot will be fined up to $1,500.^1 2 3

Already, people in Austria who are not vaccinated for COVID are forced to remain in their homes and are only allowed out for “essential” services such as going to work or buying food at the grocery store. Police in Austria are conducting random checks on people over 12 years of age to determine their vaccination status.^1 3

These draconian measures by the Austrian government have sparked a wave of protest marches the country involving up to an estimated 40,000 people.^2 4 5

An article in Time magazine noted:

Austrian demonstrators carried signs reading “no to vaccines” and “down with the fascist dictatorship.” Many leveled comparisons to the history of Nazi experiments in Austria.²

Greece Joins Austria in Passing Compulsory Vaccination Laws

Austria is the first country in Europe to introduce compulsory vaccination, but it has quickly been followed by Greece, whose government announced a similar policy on Nov. 30. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that compulsory vaccination for COVID will begin on Jan. 16, 2022 for everyone over 60 years old. Those who refuse to be vaccinated will be fined €100 ($114) per month.^6 7 8 “Greeks over the age of 60 must book their appointment for a first jab by January 16. Their vaccination is henceforth compulsory,” Prime Minister Kyriakos said.⁶

Among the first countries to implement compulsory vaccination laws earlier this year were Indonesia, Micronesia and Turkmenistan.^8 9 10 

Germany Positioned Next to Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine for All

The next country in Europe to make COVID vaccination compulsory may be Germany. On Dec. 2, the regional and national German lawmakers agreed to ban unvaccinated people from “non-essential” businesses, including restaurants, bars, movie theaters and other cultural and recreational activities.^11 12

Those who are unvaccinated in Germany are essentially confined to their homes, with the exception of being allowed to go to places like supermarkets, pharmacies and gasoline stations, which are considered to be essential. Unvaccinated individuals in the country are only permitted to get together with two other people from another household. These restrictions do not apply to those who provide proof of vaccination.^11 12

Additionally, political leaders in Germany are now seriously considering passing a strict compulsory vaccination law similar to that of neighboring Austria. According to Germany’s outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel, a mandatory vaccination law could be passed by the German Parliament within the next few weeks and take effect in February 2022.^11 12 13

Incoming Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that compulsory vaccinations in Germany should take effect by the “beginning of February or March so we must move quickly now.” He explained that they are justified in order “to protect us all.”¹¹ The underlying assumption here is that unvaccinated people somehow pose an undue threat to the country, while vaccinated people do not. That appears to be the assumption made by all the governments that have forced compulsory vaccination on their citizens or are strongly leaning toward moving in that direction.

COVID Vaccines Do Not Prevent Infection With and Transmission of SARS-CoV-2

For some reason, these governments have not gotten message that the current COVID vaccines do not prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID disease.

Due to the failure of COVID vaccines to reliably prevent infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or its transmission, both vaccinated and unvaccinated people have the potential to spread the virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed this in August. On July 30, the CDC published a study confirming that the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV2 virus produced similar amounts of the virus in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.^{14 15 16 17}

“High viral loads suggest an increased risk of transmission and raised concern that, unlike with other variants, vaccinated people infected with Delta can transmit the virus,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky, MD said. She added, “The [COVID vaccines] continue to work well for Delta with regard to severe illness and death, they prevent it. But what they can’t do anymore is prevent transmission.”^15 16 17

Another study published in The Lancet on Oct. 29, reinforced the findings of the CDC study that COVID vaccines do not prevent infection and transmission and that “peak viral load did not differ by vaccination status or variant type.”^18 19 The researchers on The Lancet study concluded:

[F]ully vaccinated individuals with breakthrough infections have peak viral load similar to unvaccinated cases and can efficiently transmit infection in household settings, including to fully vaccinated contacts.^18 19

Vaccinated People May Be a “Relevant Source of Transmission”

In a letter published in The Lancet three weeks later referencing The Lancet study, Günter Kampf, MD, consultant hospital epidemiologist and associate professor for hygiene and environmental medicine at the University Medicine Greifswald in Germany, wrote that recent data “indicate that the epidemiological relevance of COVID-19 vaccinated individuals is increasing.” He said that there is now “clear evidence” that the “fully vaccinated” are a “possible source of transmission.”

Dr. Kampf noted that the CDC has identified four of the top five counties in the United States with the highest percentage of fully vaccinated population as “high” transmission counties and he warned:

It appears to be grossly negligent to ignore the vaccinated population as a possible and relevant source of transmission when deciding about public health control measures.²⁰

So if the COVID vaccines cannot prevent infection and transmission and vaccinated people who have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus carry the same viral load as infected unvaccinated people, plus there is “clear evidence” that infected vaccinated people may spread the virus, as can infected unvaccinated people, then why are unvaccinated people being singled out for a wide range of discriminatory practices in a growing number of countries?

It appears that this pernicious campaign to take away some of the most basic human and civil rights of people who decline to submit to forced vaccination with experimental vaccines has little or nothing to do with public health.

References

1 Kakar V. Austria announces mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for all. Jurist Nov. 22, 2021.

2 Fisher BL. Grassroots Resistance in Europe and Australia to Vaccine Mandates and Lockdowns Escalate as COVID Vaccines Fail. The Vaccine Reaction Nov. 20, 2021.

3 Nugent C. Austria’s Plan to Make COVID-19 Vaccines Compulsory Is Dividing Citizens — and Experts. Time Nov. 23, 2021.

4 Schmidt N, Halasz H. Austria announces Europe’s first nationwide vaccine mandate and reimposes lockdown as Covid-19 soars. CNN Nov. 19, 2021.

5 Pleschberger J. ‘Hands off our children’: Nationwide protests against vaccine mandate in Austria. CGTN Dec. 2, 2021.

6 BBC. Covid: Greece to fine over-60s who refuse Covid-19 vaccine. BBC Dec. 1, 2021.

7 Kakississ J. Greece will mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for anyone over 60, or make them pay fines. NPR Nov. 30, 2021.

8 Vanderslott S. Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work? The Conversation Dec. 1, 2021.

9 Hart R. Not Just Austria–Here Are The Countries Making Covid-19 Vaccination Compulsory For Everyone. Forbes Nov. 19, 2021.

10 Reuters. These countries have made vaccines mandatory. The Economic Times Nov. 10, 2021.

11 Berlin (AFP). German MPs to decide on mandatory Covid jabs by year’s end. France 24 Nov. 30, 2021.

12 Schmidt N, Pleitgen F. Germany locks down unvaccinated people, as leaders plan to make shots compulsory. CNN Dec. 3, 2021.

13 Taylor C. Germany steps closer to making Covid vaccines mandatory, imposes strict curbs on unvaccinated. CNBC Dec. 3, 2021.

14 Brown CM et al. Outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 Infections, Including COVID-19 Vaccine Breakthrough Infections, Associated with Large Public Gatherings — Barnstable County, Massachusetts, July 2021. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Aug. 6, 2021; 70(31): 1059-1062.

15 Cáceres M. COVID Vaccines No Longer Able to “Prevent Transmission” of SARS-CoV-2. The Vaccine Reaction Sept. 12, 2021.

16 Holcombe M, Maxouris C. Fully vaccinated people who get a Covid-19 breakthrough infection can transmit the virus, CDC chief says. CNN Aug. 6, 2021.

17 Nedelman M. CDC shares ‘pivotal discovery’ on Covid-19 breakthrough infections that led to new mask guidance. CNN July 30, 2021.

18 Mining Awareness. New Lancet Study Finds Covid-19 Shots Don’t Prevent Transmission of Covid-19; Peak Viral Load is the Same as Unvaccinated; Household Transmission to Vaccinated and Unvaccinated. Nov. 3, 2021.

19 Singanayagam A. Community transmission and viral load kinetics of the SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.617.2) variant in vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in the UK: a prospective, longitudinal, cohort study. The Lancet Oct. 29, 2021.

20 Kampf G. The epidemiological relevance of the COVID-19-vaccinated population is increasing. The Lancet Nov. 19, 2021.