Norway to end the majority of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions, giving credit to mass vaccination



Norway is lifting almost all of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions despite the ongoing spread of the Omicron variant within the country.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said, "This is the day we have been waiting for. We are removing almost all coronavirus measures."

The Prime Minister acknowledged that his constituents were well protected from COVID-19 due to the country's high rate of vaccination and the low number of Omicron-related hospitalizations, per the Associated Press.

According to USA Today, 86% of Norwegian adults have received two COVID-19 vaccinations.

Norwegians no longer have to wear masks in public spaces or adhere to one-meter (3-feet) social distancing requirements. They also no longer are required to self-isolate should they be exposed to COVID-19.

Last December, Norway partially reimplemented COVID-19 lockdown protocols to try and limit the spread of the Omicron variant.

In July of 2021, Norway began to ease some of its COVID-19 restrictions but delayed the final phase of reopening its economy to try and slow the growth of the Delta variant. Norway continued to limit service in bars and restaurants, the size of private gatherings, and continued restrictions on sporting event crowd sizes.

Despite the Norwegian Prime Minister's insistence that his country's high rate of vaccination is to credit for ending the nation's lockdown policies, data from Norway's neighboring country, Sweden, indicates that herd immunity from exposure to COVID-19 would have been more effective at preventing severe sickness and protecting people from COVID's menagerie of variants.

Sweden, unlike most European countries, did not experience a "wave" of Delta cases. Other Scandinavian countries like Norway and Iceland suffered an onslaught of Delta variant cases.

The working theory is that the Swedish approach to COVID-19 — while protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 — enabled the Swedes to achieve an enhanced level of herd immunity through natural exposure that provides better protection from both classic COVID-19 and any variant to date.

Sweden prioritizing largescale natural immunity enabled the country to avoid economic shutdowns and save many lives.

Eventually, the country rolled out a vaccination initiative in order to shore up its population's immunity to COVID-19, but Swedish leadership did not expect their people to stay locked inside for prolonged periods only to receive mediocre immunity from a vaccine.

In recent months, a Norwegian study suggested that some women experienced disruptions to their menstrual cycles after receiving a COVID-19 vaccination.

However, the European Medicines Agency said that it had not yet established a link between changes in a woman's menstrual cycle and COVID-19 vaccines.

Hospital to pause delivering babies as maternity workers quit over vaccine mandate



An upstate New York hospital said it would soon pause the delivery of babies due to maternity unit workers quitting their jobs because of the COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

On Aug. 16, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state was implementing a vaccine mandate for all health care workers, including staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities, nursing homes, adult care, and other congregate care settings. Cuomo's order required all health care workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 27.

However, some health care workers are refusing to receive the coronavirus vaccine, which has caused hospitals to be short-staffed. At the Lewis County General Hospital in Lowville, New York, nearly half of the maternity ward employees at the hospital have resigned over the mandate or are considering not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

During a news conference on Friday afternoon, Lewis County Health System CEO Gerald Cayer announced that of the 30 hospital workers who have resigned, 21 are in clinical areas. There are six employees in the maternity who will quit over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, and another seven who are undecided about getting the vaccine, according to WWNY-TV.

Cayer said the hospital will be unable to staff the maternity ward safely, and will pause delivering babies after Sept. 24. He noted that he hopes the closure will be temporary, and will seek assistance from the state's Department of Health to keep the maternity ward open, which was already short-staffed before the resignations. A hospital official said there is a "shortage of nursing staff in the region, pre-mandate."

"If we can pause the service and now focus on recruiting nurses who are vaccinated, we will be able to reengage in delivering babies here in Lewis County," Cayer said.

"Our hope is as we get closer (to the deadline), the numbers will increase of individuals who are vaccinated, fewer individuals will leave and maybe, with a little luck, some of those who have resigned will reconsider," Cayer said.

Cayer noted that 27% of the hospital's employees are unvaccinated against COVID-19.

The Lewis County Health System has five employees in quarantine, five employees in isolation, and four community members hospitalized who are COVID-positive.

Cayer said he supports the vaccine mandate, saying vaccines combined with masks provide the "highest level of protection."

"It just is a crazy time," Cayer stated. "Rural hospitals everywhere are really trying to figure out how we're going to make it work."

In Detroit, roughly 50 health care employees launched a lawsuit against the Henry Ford Health System over its COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The lawsuit claims that the forced vaccines violate the Fourteenth Amendment's protection of "personal autonomy and bodily integrity."

Vaccine mandates have also caused bus drivers to quit their jobs in Chicago.

In August, the Chicago Public Schools experienced a mass resignation of school bus drivers. Approximately 10% of drivers resigned before schools reopened.

"According to the bus companies, the rush of resignations was likely driven by the vaccination requirements," a statement from the district said. "As a result, the district went from being able to provide all eligible students a bus route, to being unable to accommodate transportation for approximately 2,100 students within a matter of days."

Some U.S. service members have voiced their hesitation to the vaccine mandates in a roundtable discussion with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).

Military members speak out against vaccine mandates: 'I wanted to serve my country, now I am looking at a result in which I am lumped in with felons'



Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin issued a memo last week calling for the mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations of American troops. Austin ordered United States military leaders to "impose ambitious timelines for implementation."

More than 800,000 service members have yet to get their COVID-19 vaccines, according to Pentagon data.

In June, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced HR 3860, which would prohibit any mandatory requirement that a member of the Armed Forces receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

"This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to require a member of the Armed Forces to receive a COVID-19 vaccination," the bill states, which has 31 cosponsors. "The bill also prohibits adverse action (e.g., punishment) being taken against a member of the Armed Forces because the member refuses to receive a COVID-19 vaccination."

On Friday, Massie hosted a roundtable discussion with a dozen members of the U.S. military to hear their concerns about the imminent vaccine mandate. The military members remained anonymous to avoid any backlash or retribution for their opinions on the COVID-19 vaccine. Massie's office did vet each service member for authenticity for the conference call.

One soldier, a six-year veteran of the Air National Guard as a front-line health care worker, said, "The science is ignored in favor of a vax everyone at all costs position. Superiors are aware of the fact that soldiers with prior exposure to COVID have a better immunity response than could be achieved with a vaccine, yet it simply does not matter."

Another anonymous service member who has been part of the military's COVID-19 response team for the past six months claimed, "The pressure from commanders to get people vaxxed is intense." The individual is in the process of obtaining an exemption, but alleges there is daily harassment from commanders who urge him to abandon his exemption request, according to the New American.

A Christian, who joined the military out of a sheer love of country, said his religious accommodation request was denied by the Surgeon General of the Army "without any reason given." The Army veteran proclaimed, "I am going to fight this in Federal Court if I need to."

A major with 17 years of active service revealed that he contracted COVID-19 and recovered. The officer suffers from a heart condition, which is under control. Still a few years away from retirement, the major revealed, "Privately I've been told that I qualify for a medical exemption, but the pressure put on the medical staff is such that none of the doctors are willing to officially sign off."

"This is total nonsense; we have thousands of soldiers deployed in combat zones overseas and none of them have received the COVID vaccine," the incensed major declared. "They are still accomplishing the mission."

An enlisted Navy man alleged that an officer told him, "You are the reason your mom and dad is going to die." However, the reason why the Air Force E4 is vaccine hesitant is because a close family member recently died from a blood clot immediately after getting the vaccine.

"I wanted to serve my country and now I am looking at a result in which I am lumped in with felons and rapists, I won't even be able to own a firearm," the Navy man, who is still under contract, said.

Two of the service members say they have been threatened with a court-martial or a dishonorable discharge.

Hawaii requires high school athletes to be vaccinated to play sports



High school athletes and the athletic staff in Hawaii will be required to be fully vaccinated in order to participate in scholastic sports this year. The decision to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory was made by the Hawaii State Department of Education.

According to MaxPreps, the majority of Hawaii's high school football games were scheduled to kick off the season on Aug. 13, but were delayed until late September at the earliest to provide time for athletes and staff to get the coronavirus vaccine.

The Hawaii State Department of Education said in a press release that "all student-athletes, athletic staff and volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 24, 2021, to participate in school-sanctioned athletic activities for the 2021-22 school year."

The Department of Education defines "full vaccination" as "two weeks after a second dose in a two-dose series or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine." The Department of Education notes that a person who received their "first shot by Aug. 20 and a second dose by Sept. 10 would be fully vaccinated by Sept. 24, under Pfizer's two-dose schedule."

Hawaii's DOE noted, "Students and adults may seek exemption from COVID-19 vaccination requirements for religious or medical reasons, with the appropriate documentation." People granted exemptions to the vaccine mandate are required to undergo a COVID-19 test twice a week.

Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine only for individuals ages 12 and up.

"We opened the new school year this week with in-person learning and our highest priority is to ensure all students can continue to attend school safely," Keith Hayashi, interim superintendent of the Hawaii State Department of Education, said. "This decision was not made lightly because we know the important role athletics play in a well-rounded education, but we cannot jeopardize the health and safety of our students and communities."

"We saw over the weekend the impact that just one potential case can have on sports teams, students and families," he continued. "The alternative is canceling the season outright, which we don't want to have to do; so we are implementing this layered plan that prioritizes vaccinations as the best way to protect against and reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19."

Hawaii canceled all public high school leagues last fall due to the coronavirus pandemic and was reportedly one of only three states that didn't play high school football in the 2020-2021 season.

Hawaii reopened public schools for full in-person instruction earlier this month, but "masks must always be worn correctly and consistently by all students and staff when indoors."

According to the Hawaii Department of Health, over 61% of the population has been vaccinated, and there have been five COVID-19 deaths of those under the age of 17.

Hawaii fall sports delayed until late September, vaccination mandate in place www.youtube.com

Whitlock: With its COVID protocols, the NFL is implementing ‘Medical Jim Crow’ and Joe Biden loves it



Let's see if I understand modern-day Jim Crow.

Requiring a government-issued ID to vote is the newest form of racial bigotry terrorizing black people. According to Democrats and corporate media, people of color struggle to obtain legal forms of identification, and therefore any attempts to mandate IDs to vote is an act just short of physical intimidation at the voting booth.

No one has offered any proof that enthusiastic, would-be black or brown voters are being turned away at the polls because they lack a suitable government ID. If anyone has seen one of these disappointed voters interviewed on television or in a print publication, please tweet me a link to the story at @whitlockjason.

To the best of my knowledge, "Jim Crow 2.0," as our current president calls it, is a victimless crime.

But for the sake of this column, I'm going to accept Biden's assertion that a simple requirement such as an ID can be analogized to 1920s-style segregation laws.

So what should we call what's going on in the National Football League? America's pastime is tactically requiring its players and coaches to get the COVID vaccination to play this season. The players and coaches who don't get the vaccine are subject to rules and standards vaccinated NFL employees are not. Unvaccinated players who breach COVID protocols, including being caught not wearing a mask, will be fined $14,000 per infraction.

Let's follow the established logic. Approximately 75 percent of NFL players are black. Data has revealed that black men are the most reluctant Americans to take the experimental vaccines. Democratic Party and corporate media have spent at least the past five years telling black Americans to distrust the country's "systemically racist" government. Couple the anti-American sentiment with the well-known, 40-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study that exploited black men and it's not difficult to understand black men's hesitancy to take the experimental vaccine.

The NFL's COVID policing is going to make New York's old stop-and-frisk policing program feel like the Emancipation Proclamation and Juneteenth rolled into one.

What we're looking at is a clear case of what Fox News host Tucker Carlson appropriately labeled "Medical Jim Crow."

COVID rules are going to disproportionately and negatively impact black NFL players. The NFL is a microcosm of what's going to happen to the rest of American society. Black men will be disproportionately damaged by COVID restrictions in all American workplaces.

This is Joe Biden's 1994 crime bill all over again. We don't need to wait 20 years to recognize who the COVID protocols will hurt.

This should be a wake-up call to black men in particular and black people in general. Quit assuming your true allies call themselves Democrats, liberals and social justice activists. They are not our allies. They're clever hunters who repeatedly walk us into situations that don't benefit us.

I have to tip my hats to Democrats. They've convinced us that political allegiance is superior to religious allegiance. Voting is a religion. They've persuaded us to believe that our ancestors sacrificed their lives for our right to vote. And they're quite adept at disguising their racism.

ESPN and social media wanted to make Buffalo Bills slot receiver Cole Beasley the face of the anti-vax movement. Beasley is white. He began tweeting his disapproval of COVID protocols months ago.

This week, Arizona receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Tampa running back Leonard Fournette added their public objections. Hopkins and Fournette are black. I knew it would just be a matter of time before black NFL players raised their hands and voices in objection to the COVID rules. We can't be cowards and sheep forever.

I don't have a position for or against the vaccine. Everyone should be allowed to make a personal decision that fits their situation. I'm against the government and the NFL forcing and/or pressuring individuals to consent to any medical procedure.

All the people allegedly concerned with saving vulnerable lives get real quiet when you bring up abortion. Keep that same quiet energy when it comes to the COVID vaccines.

CNN medical analysts say life 'needs to be hard' for Americans who don't get the vaccine, call for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations



CNN medical analysts are taking a hardline approach to COVID-19 vaccinations. The cable news contributors are calling for mandatory coronavirus vaccinations, and say that life "needs to be hard" for Americans who don't get the COVID-19 vaccine.

"What really need to do at this point is to make vaccination the easy choice. It needs to be hard for people to remain unvaccinated," Leana Wen said during a Saturday appearance on CNN. "Right now, it's kind of the opposite. It's easy if you're unvaccinated, you can do everything you want to do anyway."

Wen, the former president of Planned Parenthood, said unvaccinated Americans should be subjected to more stringent restrictions.

"But at some point these mandates, by workplaces, by schools, I think it will be important to say, 'Hey, you can opt out, but if you want to opt out, you have to sign these forms, you have to get twice weekly testing,'" Wen said. "Basically, we need to make getting vaccinated the easy choice."

Last week, Wen called for President Joe Biden "to get behind vaccine requirements."

Wen wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for Biden to mandate vaccinations nationally, and scolded him for not using the White House Independence Day event to spread the message that getting vaccinated is not an "individual decision."

"The celebration could have been a chance to show that vaccination isn't just an individual decision, but one that affects the health of others — including those already vaccinated," Wen wrote, according to Fox News.

In April, Wen urged the Biden administration to "tie reopening policy to vaccination status." Wen said that government needs to tell Americans, "If you are vaccinated, you can do all these things. Here are all these freedoms that you have."

Also in April, Wen proclaimed that businesses should only be allowed to return back at full capacity if "they are checking for proof of vaccination."

Dr. Jonathan Reiner, another CNN medical analyst, petitioned for mandatory vaccinations — starting with private businesses.

"I do think it's time to start mandating vaccines," Reiner told CNN host Erin Burnett on Friday. "And I think that private industry and private organizations will do that."

"75 million adults have chosen to not get vaccinated and that choice has consequences," Reiner added. "Now, we can't force you to take a jab in the arm but there are many jobs perhaps that can prevent you from working if you decide not to get vaccinated."

"So I think we need to be more proactive and I think we will see industry take the lead on this," he concluded.

CNN's @DrLeanaWen: The Biden Admin should say to unvaccinated Americans: "Hey, you can opt out, but if you want to… https://t.co/uoDBb1oZ0H
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) 1625926960.0

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra: 'It is absolutely the government's business' to know who is and isn't vaccinated against COVID-19



Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra declared that "it is absolutely the government's business" to know the COVID-19 vaccination status of Americans. Becerra made the proclamation on Thursday morning during an appearance on CNN's "New Day."

After President Joe Biden's administration announced it was implementing a door-to-door effort to encourage more Americans to get vaccinated, Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) reacted to the news by saying, "It's NONE of the government's business knowing who has or hasn't been vaccinated."

Becerra was asked about the remark made by Biggs, and he argued that it is the government's business.

"The federal government has spent trillions of dollars to try and keep Americans alive during this pandemic," Becerra said. "So it is absolutely the government's business, it is taxpayers' business, if we have to continue to spend money to try and keep people from contracting COVID."

Becerra defended the Biden administration's plan to carry out "door-to-door outreach to get remaining Americans vaccinated."

"Knocking on a door has never been against the law, you don't have to answer," Becerra said. "But we hope you do, because if you do we can hopefully help dispel some of those rumors that you've heard and hopefully get you vaccinated."

Becerra was then asked about declining vaccination rates and the potential for implementing vaccine requirements. The HHS chief said that decision would be left up to governors, mayors, and county supervisors to "determine how best to approach people in their neighborhoods."

CNN anchor Brianna Keilar asked Becerra if the Biden administration would push for more restrictions against unvaccinated Americans, such as vaccine passports.

"We want to give people the sense that they have the freedom to choose. But we hope they choose to live," Becerra replied. "We hope people make the right choices. We want them to have the right information, but we are America. We try to give people as much freedom and choice as possible, but clearly when over 600,000 Americans have died, the best choice is to get vaccinated."

"If you want to stay alive, if you're going to contract COVID and you want to stay alive, the best chance would be if you're vaccinated," Becerra stated.

@XavierBecerra Becerra: “We want to give people the sense that they have the freedom to choose. But we hope they ch… https://t.co/aNpfCE4pay

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) 1625749328.0

President Joe Biden pushed for people to get vaccinated on Tuesday and revealed that the administration is prepared to encourage Americans to get vaccinated, even if it means knocking on their front doors.

"Now we need to go to community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood, and oftentimes door to door— literally knocking on doors to get help to the remaining people protected from the virus," Biden said.

"It's never been easier, and it's never been more important," Biden said of getting coronavirus vaccinations. "Do it now for yourself and the people you care about, for your neighborhood, for your country. It sounds corny, but it's a patriotic thing to do."

"Look, equity, equality, it remains at the heart of our responsibility of ensuring the communities that have been hardest hit by the virus, have the information and the access to get vaccinated," Biden continued. "So, as we shift from these centralized mass vaccination sites, we're doing thousands of people a day, we're going to access close to your community, close to home, conveniently, and location you're already familiar with."

President Biden failed to meet his goal of having at least 70% of U.S. adults vaccinated by July 4. As of July 7, a total of 157,908,171 Americans had been fully vaccinated, or 47.6% of the country's population, according to the CDC's data. There are 67% who have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Biden Announces Door-to-Door Outreach to Boost Vaccinations www.youtube.com

Make-a-Wish Foundation will only grant wishes to terminally ill children who are fully vaccinated



The Make-a-Wish Foundation, the organization that creates "life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses," announced that the nonprofit will only grant wishes to terminally ill children and their participating family members if they are all vaccinated against COVID-19. The announcement was made by Make-a-Wish president and CEO Richard Davis in a video that went viral this week.

"We've approached this responsibility with a focus and diligence for your families health and safety," Davis says.

"Now we've consulted with doctors and medical professionals throughout the National Medical Advisory Council," Davis says in the video. "We've been monitoring public health organizations like the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics."

Davis noted that based on the guidance of public health agencies, they will "resume granting air-travel wishes within the United States and its territories, as well as granting wishes involving large gatherings for vaccinated wish families, as soon as Sept. 15 of 2021."

Make-a-Wish stopped granting wishes involving air travel at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020.

However, Davis said that the charity would require the critically ill children as well as any participants from the family to be two weeks past full vaccination in order to granted any wishes from the organization.

"All wish participants, including your wish kid and any siblings, will need to be two weeks past completion of either a one-dose or a two-dose vaccine," Davis says in the video.

The Make-a-Wish Foundation will not require proof of vaccination, but it will need all adults to sign a "letter of understanding that certifies that they and any minors participating in the wish are vaccinated and fully understand the risks of traveling at this time."

The CDC recommends COVID-19 vaccination for anyone 12 years of age and older.

Healthline reports, "On May 10, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to include adolescents as young as 12 years old."

The WHO website reads, "Children and adolescents tend to have milder disease compared to adults, so unless they are part of a group at higher risk of severe COVID-19, it is less urgent to vaccinate them than older people, those with chronic health conditions and health workers."

"More evidence is needed on the use of the different COVID-19 vaccines in children to be able to make general recommendations on vaccinating children against COVID-19," the WHO states.

"WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) has concluded that the Pfizer/BionTech vaccine is suitable for use by people aged 12 years and above," the health agency's advisory states. "Children aged between 12 and 15 who are at high risk may be offered this vaccine alongside other priority groups for vaccination."

In the video clip, Davis doesn't appear to explain the protocol for critically ill children under the age of 12, who are not permitted to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

This is literally a new low for humanity. Terminally ill children will not be granted a wish.. from the make a wish… https://t.co/q6IyxRmsT9

— Pelham_3 (@Pelham_3) 1624519776.0

Tennessee college to charge unvaccinated students a $1,500 'Health & Safety fee'



Starting with the fall semester, a college in Memphis, Tennessee, plans to charge students who have not received the COVID-19 vaccine $1,500 per semester as part of a "Health & Safety Fee."

Rhodes College announced the policy in a Student Life letter issued last week, in which it explained that the charge is intended to "cover the costs of mandatory testing," Campus Reform reported.

Upon returning to campus, vaccinated students will not be subject to initial or regular asymptomatic testing, nor will they be required to wear masks or socially distance. However, unvaccinated students will be required to quarantine upon arrival, wear masks, practice social distancing, and complete weekly testing for the coronavirus.

Also, "depending on campus positivity rates," the letter stated, "non-vaccinated students may not be permitted to participate in certain campus events and activities including Athletics, clubs and intramurals, and student organizations."

Students are permitted to apply for medical or religious exemption requests so long as they are submitted by August for review. International students who do not have access to the vaccine will also be directed to a vaccine clinic once they arrive on campus.

The school's website states that Rhodes is planning to require all students, faculty, and staff to receive the COVID-19 vaccine once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration grants it official approval. As of now, the FDA has granted certain vaccines Emergency Use Authorization.

Until then, "Rhodes is strongly recommending faculty, staff, and students get the vaccine in anticipation of FDA approval," the website notes.

During an interview with WREG-TV, Rhodes College Vice President for Student Life Meghan Weyant said that while testing was free for students in the spring semester, the college expects students to get inoculated as more vaccines become available.

"As we prepare to welcome our returning students home and the largest incoming class in Rhodes history, we believe a campus-wide commitment to vaccination will really allow us to do our part in getting our students back on campus for the academic experience that we know they so much want," she explained.

Weyant added that the school has not received much pushback from students over its stance on campuswide vaccinations.

"The response has been positive," she said. "[Students] want to be back on campus doing the things that they are so excited to do as part of the college experience and so they very much recognize that this is the best and safest way to do that."

Virginia's top health official will make it mandatory for everyone to get COVID-19 vaccine



Virginia's top health official said he would make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory in the state once coronavirus vaccines are available.

Virginia Commissioner of Health Dr. Norman Oliver told WFXR-TV that he plans to impose a coronavirus vaccine mandate for everyone in the state.

"It [the coronavirus] is killing people now, we don't have a treatment for it and if we develop a vaccine that can prevent it from spreading in the community we will save hundreds and hundreds of lives," Oliver said on Friday.

Virginia state law gives the Commissioner of Health the authority to mandate immunizations during a public health crisis if a vaccine is available, according to WRIC-TV.

Oliver said he doesn't know what the punishment should be for Virginians who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine. "I think the overwhelmingly majority of people would, in fact, respond well," Oliver said of mandatory coronavirus vaccinations.

A Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted between July 28-30 found that only 42% of all Americans said they would get vaccinated "if and when a coronavirus vaccine becomes available."

Under current Virginia law, only people with a medical exemption could refuse the vaccine mandate.

The Virginia General Assembly is considering a bill that would allow an exemption to the immunization mandate to people "who object to such administration on religious grounds." HB 5016, which was introduced by Mark L. Cole (R-Spotsylvania), would need to clear a house committee before the full chamber could vote on it.

There were seven people hospitalized in the state because of coronavirus on Aug. 20, according to the Virginia Department of Health website. The peak hospitalizations in Virginia was 120 on May 1. As of Aug. 18, Virginia's seven-day average for percentage of positive test results was at 6.5%, down from a peak of 20.8% on April 21. Since July 15, Virginia has had two days with double-digit daily COVID-19 deaths: 12 fatalities on July 25 and 10 on July 29.

Mandate COVID-19 vaccine to Virginians?www.youtube.com

People across the country have been asking, "Will a COVID-10 vaccine be mandatory?" Which has been followed up by debates as to whether governments could legally impose mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations.

Steven Wilker, a partner at the law firm Tonkon Torp, told Newsweek it would be a "reach" for the federal government to institute a mandatory vaccination order. The federal government would likely only be able to enforce it by taxing individuals who refuse to vaccinate.

Dov Fox, a law professor and the director of the Center for Health Law Policy and Bioethics at the University of San Diego, said states could penalize citizens who don't adhere to mandatory vaccinations.

"States can compel vaccinations in more or less intrusive ways," Fox said. "They can limit access to schools or services or jobs if people don't get vaccinated. They could force them to pay a fine or even lock them up in jail."

"Courts have found that when medical necessity requires it, the public health outweighs the individual rights and liberties at stake," Fox continued.

A Supreme Court case from 115 years ago suggests that local governments may have the authority to enforce mandatory vaccinations by levying punishments to citizens who refuse inoculations.

Jacobson v Massachusetts was a 1905 U.S. Supreme Court case that addressed mandatory vaccinations. The Supreme Court upheld the Cambridge Board of Health's authority to require vaccinations against smallpox during the smallpox epidemic at the time. The decision allowed the local municipality to mandate smallpox vaccinations of all residents during disease outbreaks.

Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz appeared on Larry King's "PoliticKING" in June and referenced the Jacobson v Massachusetts decision when asked if it was legal for the government to force individuals to get a coronavirus vaccine.

Dershowitz said that the government has the power to mandate immunizations "if the vaccine is safe and effective and necessary."

In May, Dershowitz discussed the legality of mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations on "Crowdsource the Truth."

"Let me put it very clearly: you have no constitutional right to endanger the public and spread the disease, even if you disagree. You have no right not to be vaccinated," Dershowitz told host Jason Goodman. "And if you refuse to be vaccinated, the state has the power to literally take you to a doctor's office and plunge a needle into your arm."

"That's what a democracy is about. If the majority of the people agree and support that, for public health measures, you have to be vaccinated, you have to be vaccinated," Dershowitz continued. "They should give you an alternative. The alternative is to live in your home, don't get vaccinated, but never ever leave your home or live in a bubble. But if you want to interact with other people, you cannot become Typhoid Mary. The Constitution doesn't give you the right to spread your illness to other people."

The counterpoint to the Supreme Court ruling is to ask if it is an equitable comparison between the smallpox epidemic in the early 1900s to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Before smallpox was eradicated in 1980 because of a vaccination program, the infectious disease had a mortality rate of approximately 30%. The mortality rate for COVID-19 is estimated between 3.4% and less than 0.3% of people infected. Plus, a much higher percentage of the population has access to modern medicine now than in the early 20th century.

The other argument is that the Jacobson v Massachusetts case gave a city permission to mandate vaccinations, not an entire state.

Drugmakers from around the world are racing to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE allege that their joint COVID-19 vaccine is on track to be submitted for regulatory review as early as October, according to Bloomberg. Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that his country had approved the world's first COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in July that it was definitely a possibility the United States would have an effective coronavirus vaccine by early 2021.

Billionaire Bill Gates issued a warning about the dangers of rushing vaccinations into the populace without proper testing.