I read with dismay in Thursday’s issue of the ADN that Gov. Mike Dunleavy, is against requiring National Guard members to get vaccinated for COVID19. Unvaccinated individuals are much more likely to carry and transmit the virus, and are hence a threat to the public.
If the governor’s premise is an aversion to government “mandates”, is he also against the more than 10 mandatory vaccinations required for children to attend school in Alaska? Vaccinations that have kept our children safe from disease vectors that historically have killed millions of people. Vaccinations are only effective in minimizing or eliminating a virus if a large majority of the population is protected, something Alaska is far from achieving because of personal choice.
If COVID-19 vaccinations remain voluntary, a lack of compliance means many will die needlessly. We need to do the right thing and take care if each other.
Craig Ely
Anchorage
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