Ethical conundrums: Will South Africa use the vaccination carrot or the stick?

Source: Natale Labia, Daily Maverick, 10 August 2021, first published in the Daily Maverick 168 weekly newspaper, photo credit: Mid-continent Public Library

The Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing vaccination campaign that have engulfed the world over the last year and a half continue to present a number of fascinating and inevitably insoluble policy and, moreover, ethical conundrums. Most recently, it is whether citizens should be enticed, convinced, coerced or forced into receiving a vaccine?

South Africa’s own vaccination campaign has gathered pace after a glacial start. As of 3 August, according to Our World in Data, 7.57 million doses have been administered, enough to vaccinate 5.03% of South Africans fully.

This might seem paltry, and it is. At this current rate of about 200,000 doses a day, it should take until mid-next year to achieve the much-vaunted 75% immunity of the population. Thankfully, however, the trend is in the right direction, with the number of doses administered increasing.

While South Africa’s campaign may still be in its infancy, the experiences of other countries that are further along the torpid winding labyrinth of enigmas presented by the vaccinations are instructive.

Getting vaccinated is a decision that ultimately all individuals need to make. According to neo-classical economics, individuals are rational and will assess the utility of attaining a vaccine against the costs. Data from the Lancet on studies done in Israel shows that two Pfizer BioNTech vaccines are up to 94% effective at preventing serious cases of Covid-19. This is clearly an incentive to go for a jab.
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