Herd Immunity Discussion

Thesis: Do we have a moral obligation to be vaccinated? I want to focus on an individual moral obligation to be vaccinated in order to both minimize the risk of harming others (through direct infection) and to contribute to the realization of a collective, public good: ‘herd immunity’. The second reason is based on a principle of fairness in the distribution of the burdens required to realize the collective good, that is, herd immunity. I want to argue that there is an individual moral obligation to be vaccinated regardless of whether herd immunity is realized or not, based on a principle of fairness in the distribution of risks and burdens. Moreover, there is a moral obligation to be vaccinated regardless of whether an individual’s vaccination makes a significant difference /contribution to the realisation of herd immunity.