We have a responsibility as people to protect ourselves and others around us. Those of us who have behaved responsibly — wearing masks and, since the vaccines became available, getting our shots — cannot be held hostage by those who cannot be bothered to do the same, or who are too deluded by misinformation to understand what is so clearly in their own interest.

First, personal choice is fine — as long as your personal choices do not hurt other people. However, going unvaccinated during a pandemic does hurt other people. The unvaccinated are much more likely to contract the coronavirus, and hence potentially infect others, than those who have had their shots; there is also some evidence from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention that even when vaccinated individuals become infected, they are less likely to infect others than the unvaccinated. Surprisingly enough, the fact that breakthrough infections happen — that some people get the virus despite being vaccinated — strengthens the case for mandates, because it means that even those who have gotten their shots face some danger from those who refuse to follow suit. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has explained that we will face a new cycle of variants that might be worse and will evade the current vaccines if we do not get the community spread of the delta variant under control.

Many resisters refusing to take their shots cause immediate financial costs against the public. By being unvaccinated, they are far more likely than the vaccinated to require hospitalization, which means that they place stress on the health care system. They also impose financial costs, given the prevalence of insurance, both public and private, which will eventually be covered by the rest of us. While there are several reasons for vaccine resistance, politics is a significant driver of the agitation. Right-wing commentators and politicians have and continued to influence a culture war over these lifesaving shots, finding ways to sow doubt and outrage at every turn. By downplaying the severity of the pandemic, they have actively lied and spread misinformation to create a negative outlook about the efficacy of vaccines. Even worse, consumers of this media are doing their best to disrupt rational public health efforts like mask and vaccine mandates by harassing public health officials, school boards and elected representatives across the country — all leading to even more disease and deaths.

Personally, I think the vaccine should be considered a public duty, not a personal choice. COVID-19 has proven to be hard to extinguish. Just when it seems to fade, the case numbers rise again. What is clear in the U.S. is that the unvaccinated population remains too large for the virus to stop freely circulating. What can we do someone might ask? We can do is our part. Protect each other and take the vaccine.