A new study has found that vaccine passports work well in convincing low-vaccination rates people to have their shots.
Researchers at the University of Oxford, and England, found that when countries like France, Israel, Italy and Switzerland experienced uptakes of vaccine demand once the jabs became required to go into bars, restaurants and take part in other activities.
The mandates were particularly well received by younger people between 20-40 years old, probably because they had to be jabbered to improve their social lives.
All four countries had been falling behind in vaccination uptake before the mandates were put in place. However, there’s a renewed urgency to get vaccines vaccinated as Omicron spreads. The variant is estimated to have caused up to 3 percent of all new infections in the US.
In countries like Germany where people have been immunized for years before certain mandates were put in place, the effectiveness of requirements was also less evident.
Slowly, vaccine mandates are becoming more frequent in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. They require vaccination checks for certain activities and attendance at events.
Research found that mandatory vaccinations required that Italians show proof of vaccine to be allowed to participate in sporting events and private parties was a significant factor in increasing the uptake of vaccines by 7 percent. Blue is the projection of the vaccine uptake without the mandate, while red is the actual vaccination uptake. The date the mandate was first announced is shown as a dotted line, and the effective date is indicated by a solid line.
France mandated that front-line workers receive shots. For events with 50 or more people, you had to show proof that you were vaccinated. The mandates increased the vaccine demand by 13%. While the projected vaccine demand without the mandate is shown in blue, actual uptake of vaccines is displayed in red. The date the mandate was first announced is shown as a dotted line, and the effective date is indicated by a solid line.
Israel was most successful with the vaccine mandate. The mandate applied to gyms and other places of worship. While the projected vaccine demand without the mandate is shown in blue, actual uptake of vaccines is displayed in red. The date the mandate was first announced is shown as a dotted line, and the effective date is indicated by a solid line.
Lancet published the findings of the research team on Monday. They gathered data from Israel as well as five European countries for this study.
They compared the vaccine intake by age groups between the times before and after the mandate was implemented.
To project the number of people who would get the shot if normal rollout, researchers used data before vaccine restrictions (or ‘interventions’).
They then compared their model with the final result of the vaccine mandate.
These mandates had the greatest impact in Israel where vaccine use was at times four times more than what was projected.
Researchers found overall that Israel’s mandate requiring proof of vaccination to be allowed to participate in sporting events and visit places of worship or universities, increased vaccine intake by 24 percent.
France has a mandate for vaccines that covers many front-line employees, as well as police and fire services.
To travel by train or plane long distances or attend events where more than 50 people are present, proof of vaccination is required.
These mandates increased overall vaccination rates by 13%
According to researchers, young people are most likely to receive vaccines as mandated by the law. Many want to go back to bars and clubs as well as to attend other events. Pictured: In Ishoej (Danish), a young woman receives the COVID-19 vaccination.
Italians were required to present proof of vaccination in order to be admitted to hospitality venues and private parties. Indoor sporting venues are also restricted to those who have not been vaccinated.
To attend any indoor event with over 1,000 persons in Switzerland, one must have been vaccinated.
A seven percent increase in the overall vaccination rate was also attributed to Swiss mandates.
Researchers found that the highest increase in vaccine rates in all countries was seen among those under 30. This led researchers to conclude that young people, who had been indifferent to shots in the past, now want them to continue attending events.
‘We know that certain groups have lower vaccine uptake than others, and it may be that COVID-19 certification is a useful way to encourage vaccine complacent groups, like young people and men, to get vaccinated,’ said Tobias Rüttenauer, co-author of the study and post-doctoral fellow at Oxford, said in a press release.
“However COVID-19 Certification alone is not enough to improve vaccine uptake. Other policies must also be considered, including targeted vaccine drives.
The researchers used daily COVID-19 case numbers as a basis for comparing the four countries to other EU members.
The mandates had a positive effect on the number of cases in France, Italy, and Switzerland.
America’s younger population has had the lowest rates of vaccination.
Nearly everyone over 65 has received at least one COVID-19 vaccination, with more than 80 percent receiving it. The rate of decline in younger generations is alarming.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 70% of Americans aged 18-24 have had at least one dose of COVID-19, and only 58 percent have been fully vaccinated.
Some 74% of those aged 25-39 have had one shot. Only 62 percent are fully vaccinated.
Because they face a lesser risk of serious complications, many young people believe they are protected from the virus.
Mandates are often placed by health authorities for two reasons.
The vaccine is designed to limit the risk of Covid infection and to prevent it from spreading to other people.
A second reason is that denying people who are not vaccinated from participating in certain activities might encourage them to have the vaccines.
This study suggests that the second factor could be effective in certain European countries.