LETTER: Time to mandate vaccines

As a veteran and health care professional for more than 60 years, I do not understand why the Pentagon took so long to mandate vaccinations for all military personnel. There are plenty of justification precedents to support the principle of public health and safety over irresponsible, inexcusable rationalizations, such as allergies, religious beliefs or claims of independence.

Vaccines are not made in eggs. As an extra safeguard against an unlikely immune response, the vaccinated person is observed for at least 15 minutes after injection. As for religious claims, we have seen the harm done when those people put their children and others at risk for measles, chickenpox and other childhood vaccinations. Sincere ignorance and a disregard for managing infectious challenges for the greater good cannot be tolerated. That is a simple scientific truth, and we should act accordingly with mandates now. The numbers in the current variant surge speaks for itself.