Will Biden's Vaccine Mandate Succeed? The Answer Lies in France

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] U.S. President Joe Biden has mandated COVID-19 vaccinations for 30% of the total population. Will this vaccination mandate increase the sluggish vaccination rate in the United States? In response to this question, CNN evaluated on the 20th (local time) that "the gamble of vaccination mandates led to successful results in France."

French President Emmanuel Macron effectively mandated vaccinations starting in August through the introduction of vaccine passports. Those who are not vaccinated cannot use public transportation such as trains and airplanes, as well as restaurants, cafes, movie theaters, and museums. Unvaccinated healthcare workers faced job losses or unpaid suspensions.

CNN explained, "In France, the perception that vaccination is a personal freedom is deeply rooted, and the public tends to oppose government mandates," adding, "President Macron took the risk knowing this." In fact, during the second lockdown in December last year, 6 out of 10 French citizens responded in a survey that they would not get vaccinated even if a COVID-19 vaccine was developed.

After President Macron announced the vaccination mandate on July 12, protests against the mandate were held every Saturday in major cities like Paris. On July 31, the day before the mandate took effect, 200,000 people participated in protests nationwide, peaking at 237,000 on August 7.

On the 13th of last month (local time), a healthcare worker in Paris, France, received the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

However, as unvaccinated people were effectively barred from leaving their homes, the number of people deciding to get vaccinated surged. On the day President Macron announced the mandate, vaccine reservations noticeably increased, surpassing 1 million in a single day. Protest participants also decreased to 215,000 on August 14 and 175,000 on August 21.

As a result, France's first-dose vaccination rate, which lagged behind the UK by 15 percentage points in July, caught up by reaching 70% just three weeks after the mandate. Thanks to the vaccination mandate, France was not severely affected during the fourth wave of COVID-19 that hit Europe and the U.S.

French epidemiologist Victoria Colizza said, "The vaccination mandate reduced social activities, thereby lowering the risk of infection," adding, "This led to a decrease in new confirmed cases."

The recent 7-day average of daily new COVID-19 cases in the U.S. is 148,252. Although this is an 8% decrease compared to two weeks ago, the average daily deaths due to COVID-19 exceed 2,000 during the same period. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) emphasized the need for vaccination, stating, "Unvaccinated individuals are 11 times more likely to die than fully vaccinated individuals."