Stop making excuses for vaccine resisters

• As the CEO of Northwell Health, I've seen the spike in COVID cases in our hospital system.
• Most of those who are hospitalized are unvaccinated.
• Now is the time to encourage our employees, friends, and loved ones to get the shot.
• Michael Dowling is president & CEO of Northwell Health, New York State's largest healthcare provider and private employer.
• This is an opinion column. The thoughts expressed are those of the author.

Last week, New York City became the nation's first locality to require proof of vaccination for anyone wishing to dine indoors, work out at a gym, attend a concert or a show, or engage in any other activity that puts them in close proximity to others in an enclosed space. Some welcomed the move, while many questioned the wisdom, if not the legality, of requiring people to provide medical documentation to partake in so many aspects of normal life.

While I certainly understand the complexity of this debate, I think the numbers I'm seeing at my health system settle the issue definitively: At Northwell Health, New York's largest health system, the number of COVID hospitalizations - 264 as of August 13 - across the metropolitan area is four and a half times higher than it was just three weeks ago. And nationwide, unvaccinated individuals make up 97% of all COVID hospitalizations and 99% of COVID mortalities.

You don't have to be a doctor or scientist to realize we are on the brink of sliding back into crisis mode, and that the time for nuanced approaches has come and gone. With coronavirus cases surging largely because of the rising prevalence of Delta variants among the unvaccinated, it's clear that we now need to take responsibility not only for our own health but also for the health of others - by getting ourselves and our family members vaccinated, and encouraging our friends, co-workers, and everyone we know to do the same. The time for peer pressure is now.

Get the damn shot

17 months into this pandemic, we're all sick of mask-wearing, social distancing, restaurant closures, and the countless other inconveniences we've experienced. So why prolong this crisis by stubbornly questioning vaccine safety or clinging to hollow arguments about personal choice and constitutional rights? Ironically, most of those who have spurned the vaccine have become the latest victims of the virus.

As much as Americans rightfully abhor government intrusion and mandates in our lives, sometimes it's the responsibility of the government to protect people from the consequences of their own poor decisions. That's why after annual highway deaths routinely exceeded 50,000, states began mandating the use of car seat belts and child safety restraints in the 1980s. Traffic safety experts estimate that seat belt and safety restraint use saves 15,000 lives annually. New York City's mandate requiring proof of vaccination for restaurants, gyms, and indoor venues is consistent with the government's responsibility to protect public health.

And while the mayor, along with President Biden and other elected officials, are leading the charge, the war on COVID is all of ours to fight. Last week, Northwell Health - New York State's largest private employer with a workforce of more than 77,000 - became the latest healthcare provider to issue a vaccine mandate for employees or require that they undergo weekly testing.

These collective actions are already flattening the downward curve in daily vaccinations that we saw for most of July.

We're now at a critical stage of this pandemic. As a nation, we've already lost about 615,000 victims to this virus, including more than 53,000 New Yorkers. It's far time that we halt the mounting death toll and stop placating the estimated 90 million-plus vaccine resisters.

Take responsibility for yourselves and others - and get the damn shot!