Public Health and Vaccines

Epidemiology is the basic science of public health. We will spend the semester exploring the field, but what is public health? According to the American Public Health Association (APHA), "public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play. While a doctor treats people who are sick, [public health practitioners] try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place. [Public health practitioners] also promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors." Read the rest of the description and watch the short video on the APHA website (Links to an external site.).
All of us are impacted by public health policy, and epidemiology informs this policy. There is currently a great debate in the U.S. regarding mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for eligible students in K-12 and higher education. Read this article discussing key considerations in this debate (Links to an external site.). Construct a discussion post stating your opinion on whether or not COVID-19 vaccinations should be required for students in the U.S., and support your opinion. Public health is rarely black and white. It's okay if you have a gray area response (i.e. only certain groups should be required to receive the vaccine), just explain your reasoning.