Vaccine certificates not a new measure

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/06/2021 (1607 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Many Americans welcomed the May 13 announcement by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that those who are fully vaccinated from COVID-19 are no longer required to wear masks inside or outside. But this declaration came with exceptions: masks are still to be worn in health-care institutions, on public transportation, and when deemed necessary by local officials or individual businesses — at least in most states where mask mandates haven’t been banned.

At the time of the announcement, about 37 per cent of American adults were fully vaccinated (as of May 25, it was up to 50 per cent). So, it wasn’t surprising that the CDC’s recommendation was criticized as being premature.

An additional problem is that there is no way of knowing if someone is fully vaccinated. The CDC’s suggested rules are based on the honour system — which is open to abuse. Why would an anti-vaxxer or anti-masker, even if asked, admit that they had not been fully vaccinated?

Enforcement of such edicts in the U.S. or Canada might be tricky and mired in ethical dilemmas, privacy rules and legal issues, though there is historical precedent.

Smallpox, brought to North America by Europeans in the late 1500s, led to the deaths of millions in First Nation communities and continued to take victims for centuries. In 1796, Edward Jenner, an English doctor, discovered a vaccine derived from the animal disease cowpox (which he called vaccinia). Eventually, Jenner’s vaccine was widely used in Europe, and then North America, and saved lives.

In the late 19th century, there was compulsory smallpox vaccination for school-age children in most parts of Canada. And vaccinations were given to the public when there was fear about an epidemic. Sometimes, however, it was too late to act, as was the case in Winnipeg in the spring of 1893, when a smallpox infection was transmitted among passengers on a train. The only recourse city health officials had was to quarantine the more than 300 travellers, who were guarded by the police.

More problematic was that — like today — far too many Canadians were skeptical of medical science and objected to mandatory vaccination orders. In several cities, anti-vaccination leagues were organized to challenge public health regulations. During a bad outbreak In Montreal in 1885 — again brought to the city on a train — there was rioting when officials tried to compel individuals to be vaccinated.

In 1906, anti-vaxxers in Toronto successfully had the city’s mandatory school vaccination program repealed. Opponents argued in favour of “individual liberty” and condemned the “introduction of vile animal matter” (cowpox) into the arms of children.

A smallpox epidemic erupted in Toronto in early November 1919. Within a few weeks, there were 1,673 smallpox cases reported across Ontario; of those, 1,373 were in Toronto. Before the epidemic ended in February 1920, nearly 1,200 more people would become ill and 11 would die from the disease.

City and provincial public-health officers acted immediately and ordered a general vaccination for children and adults as was allowed under the 1914 Ontario vaccination act. This was met by protests and denunciation of vaccines.

The vaccinations, nonetheless, proceeded, though not to the level health officials in neighbouring states and provinces felt was adequate. At the U.S. border and in train stations, travellers from Ontario were required to show they had been vaccinated in the past few years. If they could not, or doctors could not verify from a physical inspection of their arms that they had been recently inoculated, they had the choice of receiving a vaccination or returning home on the next train or ferry.

Manitoba health officer Dr. Stuart Fraser acted, as well. On Dec. 19, he imposed a travel ban on anyone arriving in the province from eastern Canada without a vaccination certificate. Officials in Montreal and Hull enforced similar orders — as they did in 1921 and 1924 when there were other outbreaks in Ontario.

While many countries in Africa and Asia have required yellow fever vaccination certificates from visitors for many years, such measures will likely be imposed in the post-COVID-19 era on a global scale. In the near future, it is almost certain that travellers entering Canada and those departing for the U.S., Europe and other locales will have to show vaccination documentation (a policy already confirmed by the European Union).

Beyond travel, it might not be feasible (without allowances for medical exemptions) to do this at restaurants, sporting events or large gatherings. But it is desirable. “Proof of vaccination should be seen as another way for individuals and society to validate a safe public space, just as we do with a pedestrian crosswalk,” argued a recent Washington Post editorial.

To this end, more than 400 U.S. colleges and universities have mandated that all students be vaccinated against COVID-19 before classes begin in the fall. Most Canadian universities are still considering the idea, but several oppose it. Neither the University of Manitoba nor the University of Winnipeg has plans to mandate vaccinations, yet both encourage students, faculty and employees to be vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.

Nevertheless, ask yourself this: when you once again attend a Jets game, how much more comfortable will you feel knowing that the person sitting next to you and your family members has been confirmed as being vaccinated for COVID-19?

And not just by the honour system.

Now & Then is a column in which historian Allan Levine puts the events of today in a historical context. His most recent book is Details are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Café Society Murder.