In The News Quiz March 8, 2021

Weekly Quiz 8: Monday, March 8, 2021

COVID Vaccine Policy: Ethics & Efficiency

As the U.S. continues racing to vaccinate as many people as possible—much like every country worldwide—important political/ethical issues arise. Who should be vaccinated first (and last)? Should the vaccine be mandatory for every American? How to ensure that vaccine doses are equitably distributed across U.S. states, and from there across cities, towns, and neighborhoods?

These matters touch upon vital aspects of American politics and governance: ideas like liberty and equality, authority and accountability, and federalism. The shift from Trump to Biden administrations brought more centralized focus on (and efficiency to) vaccine distribution, though vaccine supply and distribution infrastructure remain immense challenges. As does the murky uncertainty characteristic of COVID: little is known, for example (as the Wallace-Wells article below attests), about how well existing vaccines might protect against COVID variants already beginning to emerge around the globe.

Even as these questions are hotly disputed, the possibility of a “post-COVID normal” is increasingly discussed. Whether that reality lies a few months ahead or in a more distant future will depend on how public-health experts and policymakers manage the largest vaccine effort in global history.

Read the following articles that detail some of these issues:


. Which foundational American idea supports the claim of "anti-vaxxers"—people who resist being vaccinated, for various reasons?

. A California public health official recently declared what as the "#1 priority right now"?

. Federalism policy suggests that there are advantages to handling major policies like COVID vaccine distribution at the national level. Which of the following are among those advantages? (Choose all that apply.)

. What did Harvard epidemiologist Michael Mina suggest as a likely course of COVID infections in the U.S. in coming months?

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