Did a talk to a student organisation today on Covid mandates. I made a few points:

1.There is no scientific argument for vaccine mandates. The strongest case science makes is that vaccine mandates may prevent serous disease and death in older people and people with co-morbidities. The decision to impose mandates is a social and political one.

2.The benefits of vaccine mandates at universities are hard to quantify, it is not at all clear that the benefits will outweigh the cost.

3.Vaccine mandates are a system of reward and punishment. If you vaccinate you can keep your job or attend class, if you don’t you lose your job or an education. Reward and punishment is how you deal with children, not adults with agency.

4.The 74% of South Africans who are not vaccinated are not children, either they have not been persuaded by the authorities or they have not had the opportunity. It’s wrong to imagine that they are stupid, or worse rabid reactionaries.