Booster Shots: Why It’s Ethical to Get One

By Josie West

In September of 2021, President Biden announced that he would be beginning a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot initiative. With the increasing prevalence of new and dangerous variants throughout the country, these booster shots are strongly recommended for Americans aged 18 and up. Boosters have also recently become available for 16 and 17 year olds, and the CDC strongly advises them to get it as well.

As these booster shots have become more readily available for Americans, many have been debating whether or not to get one. For most, their hesitation lies in the fact that a significant number of impoverished countries are struggling to vaccinate their populations due to a lack of access to vaccines; they question whether it is ethical to get a third shot before many have gotten a first. Though this dilemma is an important one to consider, the responsibility of working to combat global vaccine inequity should not fall on the individual. Rather, President Biden and the federal government are the ones who should be actively trying to get vaccines to those who currently lack access.

In theory, the government has already begun efforts to tackle this global vaccine inequity — President Biden has promised to provide 500 million doses to countries struggling with vaccine access. However, he has come up short on this promise; almost six months after this proclamation, America has sent only 160 million of those doses to other countries.

A likely reason for this insufficient amount is because the government has allocated enough vaccines that would cover five shots for every American, a ridiculously high amount when considering that only 60% of the US population is currently fully vaccinated (though this percentage is on the rise given the recent approval of the vaccine for children aged 5-11).

The low vaccination rate among Americans is another reason why many are hesitant to get their booster shots. Understandably, they feel that getting a booster will take doses away from the unvaccinated, thereby standing in the way of raising vaccination rates. Though their worries are well intended, it is extraordinarily unlikely that the millions of Americans who are currently unvaccinated will suddenly have a change of heart. A study conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that almost 20% of Americans have said that they will never get the vaccine, showing that if unvaccinated people haven’t gotten vaccinated by now, with consequences increasing and mandates becoming more common, they will likely never. Even if they do, however, the country’s excess of shots that comes from the five-per-person dose allocation will make it so that every vaccinated American can get the booster and the unvaccinated will still have access to shots if needed, with more than enough left over.

If individuals want to help combat global vaccine inequity that the government has pledged themselves to help with, refusing a booster shot that the government has already allocated to Americans will do little to help. Instead, we can advocate for policies that would target this inequity and even donate to initiatives that help provide lower-income countries with vaccines. And we also have a moral responsibility to work together to fight COVID-19, especially as cases among vaccinated people are steadily rising. In order to best protect ourselves and others, it is imperative that we get a booster shot as soon as we can and encourage those around us to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

While the issue of global vaccine inequity is real and ever-present, us individual Americans should try our best to do what we can to keep ourselves and those around us safe, and right now, our best should be getting our boosters. It’s up to President Biden and the government to follow through on their promises, not us.