Benefits and Costs of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
2023
Written mid-pandemic, this article evaluates the direct costs and health benefits of requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for U.S. federal employees and healthcare and private sector workers. These mandates were controversial and some were halted by litigation. If they had been implemented as intended, the net benefits would depend on the course of the pandemic. If a more transmissible variant (such as Omicron) emerges, the net benefits may be large. If the pandemic instead fades, the benefits may not exceed the costs. While mandates may be useful when inaction could be catastrophic, alternative policies may receive stronger public support and be less likely to be overturned.
Benefits and Costs of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates
Source:
Ferranna M, Robinson LA, Cadarette D, Eber MR, Bloom DE. The Benefits and Costs of U.S. Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates. Risk Analysis 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.14090