When Can You Be Required to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine?

In the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread distribution and administration of vaccines are raising hopes of achieving herd immunity—and returning to some sense of normalcy—in the U.S. Health care providers, long-term care facilities, airlines, restaurants, universities, and other entities are currently considering, or have already implemented, COVID-19 vaccine mandates, leaving Americans wondering whether these entities can require them to get vaccinated. Complex questions underlie the legality of vaccine mandates. Public misperceptions blur the line between voluntary, mandated, and compelled vaccinations, highlighting controversial gray area cases. Though often used interchangeably, public health law distinguishes between these three approaches to vaccination requirements.