Vaccinating Urban Populations in Response to COVID-19: Legal Challenges and Options

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the most significant public health emergency event in U.S. history, the real-time development of multiple efficacious COVID-19 vaccines through pharmaceutical companies and federal support is a shining achievement. Americans’ future health and safety rely on a national vaccine campaign with an arduous goal of rapidly achieving “herd immunity,” especially among denser, urban environments. Immunizing millions of persons in urban locales is especially complex due to population vulnerabilities, lack of access, issues of eligibility, and vaccine hesitancy based on false information and long-standing governmental distrust. Public and private sectors are responding to these and other challenges in multifarious ways. This Commentary explores legal and policy perspectives on national mass vaccination efforts impacting U.S. urban populations.

Note: Funding: No specific funding sources were used or relied on for the production of this research and manuscript.

Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to report in the research and drafting of this manuscript.

Keywords: COVID-19, urban, United States, vaccine, immunization, inoculation, emergency, preparedness, law, policy, challenges, religious, freedom, constitution, cases, mandate, passport, liability, school, college