NIH Director Says Vaccine Mandates Could Make a Difference: Why Is This Now ‘A Statement of Your Political Party’?

National Institutes of Health director Dr. Francis Collins said vaccine mandates would absolutely make a difference in the fight against covid-19, and lamented how the issue has become so politicized.

On ABC’s This Week, Stephanopoulos asked Collins, “Is it time for more vaccine mandates?”

Collins said it’s a “hot topic for me as a non-political person, as a physician, as a scientist,” but said he celebrates businesses mandating vaccines for employees. He also commended President Joe Biden for recently announcing that federal workers must be vaccinated or get regularly tested.

“Yeah, I think we ought to use every public health tool we can when people are dying,” he said.

Stephanopoulos remarked, “You clearly believe that vaccine mandates could make a difference.”

Collins said, “I do believe they can make a difference.”

I understand how that can sometimes set off all kinds of resistance, but isn’t that a shame, George? I mean, how did we get here? Why is it that a mandate about vaccine or about wearing a mask suddenly becomes a statement of your political party? We never should have let that happen. Come on, America, we can separate these, can’t we? We’re incredibly polarized about politics. We don’t really need to be polarized about a virus that’s killing people.

The spread of the delta variant has led to a rise in covid-19 cases across the country. Slightly over half of the total US population, per the CDC, is now fully vaccinated.

You can watch above, via ABC.