A needed push to get back to normal

An evolving enemy gaining ground necessitates a bold new battle plan. On Thursday, President Joe Biden rolled out such a strategy against COVID-19, taking the fight against the virus to the next level by targeting one of its few weaknesses: vulnerability to free, widely available vaccines.

A sweeping new requirement to get the shots or undergo frequent testing is the most potent pandemic-fighting tool available. It's also likely the most controversial. But with the delta variant overwhelming health care systems and threatening the nation's economic recovery, Biden shouldered the political risk inherent in a mandate and made the right call: new requirements for employees at large private employers, federal workers and contractors, as well as most health care staff.

It is a decision that will save lives and jobs. Nationally, just 53% of all Americans are fully vaccinated, including just 63% of the 12-and-older population eligible, according to the New York Times COVID tracker. While the total optimal vaccination threshold for containing COVID remains a gray area, experts have estimated it could be 75% or more.

The 53% national average also obscures that some states are lagging badly on COVID immunization. It's an outrage that there are five states where only 40% of the population is fully vaccinated. Recent outbreaks have strained hospital capacity in three of them: Alabama, Idaho and Mississippi. The other two states under 40% are Wyoming and West Virginia.

An additional 18 states are still below the 50% threshold, sometimes well below. For comparison, Minnesota is at 57%. The top state is Vermont at 68%, with Massachusetts, Maine and Connecticut close behind with 67% each.

Informational campaigns and other incentives, such as lotteries and gift cards, are helpful but clearly have their limits. These programs are also competing against rampant disinformation disparaging vaccines.

To be clear, all three vaccines cleared for use in the United States remain highly effective in preventing severe illness. They also help guard against becoming infected with the virus and transmitting it to others, though this protection has slipped some with the delta variant's spread. The worry, however, is that a virus still circulating widely could allow a strain to emerge that is able to elude the vaccine's protection against hospitalization or death.

The American Medical Association praised the new presidential plan this week and commended the effort to boost testing. Not surprisingly, criticism also abounded. A particularly shrill and disappointing comment came from Minnesota U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, who tweeted that the vaccine requirements are "tyrannical," "a complete abuse of power" and "potentially unconstitutional."

"Medical decisions are personal, to be made between an individual and their doctor,'' said Stauber, a Republican whose Eighth Congressional District stretches from northern Minnesota to just north of the Twin Cities.

A Congressional Research Service report from July helpfully outlines federal authority to prevent COVID transmission in the workplace. Nevertheless, court challenges are likely. Resistance is also likely from some Republican governors, though there are political risks for them as well with some recent polls indicating broad support for vaccine requirements.

The "personal medical decision" point, one raised frequently by those protesting mitigation measures, merits a pushback. COVID is contagious. That means that those who choose not to get vaccinated or take other precautions don't just put themselves at risk, they can spread the virus to others. It is not your right to jeopardize others, a reality long upheld by courts and reflected in laws protecting public health.