Missouri’s so-called ‘leaders’ let the stubborn unvaccinated holdouts keep us hostage

We have the tools to end this pandemic. Despite that, parents are still struggling to find child care, friends are still missing our birthday parties, and our loved ones are still being replaced by empty chairs at our dining room tables. There is no question at this point — we are being held hostage by stubborn, unvaccinated people and a lack of political courage.

The federal government is taking action, but much authority lies with state and local governments. This is why I am calling on all of our elected officials to step up and issue vaccine mandates for every eligible person in this country.

My grandmother, Peggy Ross, died of COVID-19 in January. It was the same week she was scheduled to be vaccinated. I watched her pass away over a Zoom call from just miles away, while Missouri’s botched rollout had vaccines sitting unused in storage refrigerators down the street. No one should ever die of governmental incompetence. It’s time for action that protects us.

We have a pandemic fueled by an unvaccinated minority. A fully-vaccinated population is the only way to guarantee an end to this nightmare. It is the only option we have to stop Missourians from dying of COVID-19. It is the only way to get our kids safely back to school, our people productively back to work, and our economy back on track.

My message to the unvaccinated population is simple: What about my freedom? Does that not count? Why do we, the vaccinated majority, have to juggle work and staying home to take care of our quarantined children because of the actions of those who reject science?

It’s the government’s role to step in when individual freedoms are being violated. In times of crisis in America, leaders step up. It has been too long since we had real leadership in this country focused on protecting the freedoms of everyday citizens.

The spread of COVID-19 and its variants is the most pressing biological threat to American life and freedom. We have a solution to our lives being so greatly affected, but this threat remains because of individuals prioritizing their personal beliefs over our freedom to live without fear of infection.

We must listen to the recommendations of experts and develop effective policies and laws that protect every U.S. citizen and work. Until then, it’s long past time for our elected officials to do what only they can: mandate vaccines and masks until this pandemic is finally brought to an end. This is not a question of science — this is a question of leadership.

Every state in this nation requires that students receive immunization shots for vaccine preventable diseases. Missouri goes even further and prohibits personal belief exemptions from vaccination for public schools. There is precedent to protect our society and any leader that claims otherwise is lying to rile up their base and sow division.

Make no mistake: These are extreme circumstances. Unvaccinated Americans are putting the health and well-being of every American at risk. Unvaccinated Americans are infringing on the freedoms of every one of us, even as they attempt to justify their choices as personal freedom. This cannot continue. We need vaccine mandates today. There is one path forward as a society and we must build trust by doing the right thing, by protecting our families, and by keeping people alive.

Spencer Toder is a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate for Missouri. He has worked in commercial real estate and medical technology.