Why Some Doctors Are Turning Against Vaccine Mandates

‘I think it’s a better thing to educate people so they choose to be vaccinated,’ a former director of the CDC said.

A nurse administers a pediatric dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to a girl at a vaccination clinic in the Sylmar neighborhood in Los Angeles, on Jan. 19, 2022. Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images

For Dr. Anish Koka, vaccine mandates made sense. He has a daughter who received an organ transplant, so she cannot receive certain shots. Mandates help ensure high vaccination rates, which can protect people like her. He also trusted officials who implemented mandates and scientists who said the immunizations are safe and effective.

The COVID-19 pandemic hit. COVID-19 vaccines came on the market in less than a year. Koka opposed mandating COVID-19 vaccination, but thought the data was strong enough that many people should get the vaccines. The cardiologist, who works in Philadelphia, administered shots to people in his private practice.