Lone Simonsen is Research Professor and Research Director in the Department of Global Health.

COHEN: Well, it’s an interesting question, though. Would you be against mandating?

SIMONSEN: Well, I think this is very interesting because, I mean, especially for the health-care worker example. I mean, there are many, many good reasons why health care workers should be considering immunization for their own safety but also to protect and, first, do no harm to the patients that they are treating. Having said that, does it work to mandate?

I think what would work better would be to say that there was a shortage and people tend to buy more of something that’s in demand. (Laughter.) We saw that — there was one season where, really, people lined up all night to get a flu shot.

COHEN: Right.

SIMONSEN: And I mean —

COHEN: Well, there is shortage.

SIMONSEN: No, actually, because we thought we were going to need two doses for every adult and since we are – only one dose, so, actually, we have twice as many doses and enough for the whole population at this point, I understand.

Source/Full Story:: Session I of a Council On Foreign Relations Symposium on Pandemic Influenza: Science, Economics and Foreign Policy – Council on Foreign Relations

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