Forget anti-vaxxers, new US legislation seeks to make coronavirus vaccination mandatory

As the anti-vaccine campaign is gaining strength in the United States, recent developments suggest that coronavirus vaccination will be made mandatory in the country following new legislation. As an initial step, a New York lawmaker has proposed mandating vaccination against coronavirus if residents voluntarily refuse to get the shot once it is available.

Vaccination to be made mandatory

Linda Rosenthal, who represents parts of Manhattan's West Side, introduced a bill earlier this month that would require the state to effectively and safely distribute vaccine in the state, once approval from FDA is obtained.

"While steps have been taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19, epidemiologists and public health experts have concluded that a vaccine will be necessary to develop herd immunity and ultimately stop the spread of the disease. The state must make efforts to promote vaccination and ensure that a high enough percentage of the population is vaccinated against COVID-19 to develop sufficient immunity," read the bill's support memo, Fox5 reports.

New policy raises alarm over privacy

In the meantime, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has asked all the states to submit personal information of people who got vaccinated against COVID-19. The personal information that should be submitted includes names, birth dates, ethnicities, and addresses, and it has raised alarm over the privacy of citizens.

Even though administrative officials have assured the security of shared data, several people believe that the submitted data could be misused in the future.

As concerns over vaccination loom large in the US, Scott L Biddle, a popular conspiracy theorist, on his Facebook page claimed that coronavirus vaccination is aimed at poisoning humans, and it will ultimately alter the DNA of the people who receive the shot.

"I wouldn't take the vaccine for a guaranteed million dollar check. How many brainwashed fools are willing to potentially poison themselves and alter their DNA for $1,500?" wrote Biddle on his Facebook page.