this week, tech giants like facebook and google have said they will require employees to be vaccinated before returning to work, netflix is demanding shots for actors on its u.s. productions, and government workers in the state of california and new york city will need to have jabs.
on thursday, the white house said every federal employee and onsite contractor will be asked to attest to their covid-19 vaccination status, wear masks, physically distance, and undergo regular testing if they are not vaccinated.
underlying a fierce opposition to the push for mandatory vaccines is a wariness from the non-vaccinated, which has caused a backslide in america’s pandemic response, according to some experts. on twitter thursday, washington post contributor leana wen called on the u.s. centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) to clarify its new guidance, not because vaccinated people are the problem, but because, according to her, “we don’t trust the unvaccinated to voluntarily do the right thing.”
the association for canadian studies survey reflects a similar divide in public opinion in canada.
the acs survey comes as the pace of vaccinations in canada slows, due largely to a hesitancy among some people to endorse a vaccination technology that they perceive as too new in its development. according to public data, 50 per cent of all canadians, or 19 million people, now have two doses of covid-19 vaccine, while 69 per cent have received at least one dose.