Weekend Update, April 24

Springtime for takes

I’m in vaccine limbo this week, no longer suffering the side effects but still trying to be a good citizen and not do anything different for seven more days until I cross the two-week threshold. But soon!

Require the vaccine

As vaccine demand comes to be a bigger problem than vaccine supply, I suspect measures like California public universities moving to make vaccination mandatory this fall are going to become more important.

For months and months, there were people desperate to get vaccinated who couldn’t get an appointment, and under those circumstances, I think making vaccines mandatory would have been pointless and counterproductive. But I’ve heard from people in the military that the non-mandatory nature of the vaccine — in contrast to flu shots, which active duty service members are routinely required to get — not only reduces uptake of the vaccine but also reduces confidence. Soldiers are used to being ordered to do things, and they’re accustomed to vaccine mandates. The reason…