Surgeon General emphasizes vaccine safety, wants people to get it voluntarily

As the nation continues to grapple with the coronavirus crisis and vaccine emergency use authorizations are potentially coming soon, U.S. Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams said during an interview on "The Water Cooler" with host David Brody that he wants people to get vaccinated voluntarily because they think it's safe rather than because they are compelled.

"I know this is a little bit of a political question, but it does have a medical base to it, and that is about these vaccines as it relates to them being mandated at some point, I know that'll be up to state, local officials but I know there are people that are concerned that to get on an airplane you would have to have the vaccine," Brody said. "Who knows if that's gonna happen, but I think there's a concern that if you don't get the vaccine you might be ostracized to a degree in this country somehow, someway."

"Well I think it's gonna be incredibly difficult for anyone to mandate a vaccine that is approved under an emergency use authorization," Adams responded. "To your point, I think more people will be inclined to get the vaccine because it will allow them to be more confident about traveling, it will allow us to more safely reopen restaurants, businesses, etcetera. I want people to do it because they believe it's safe, not because they're forced to do it."

"These vaccines are safe. They are incredibly effective. They're the way we end this pandemic," Adams said.

According to Johns Hopkins University there have been more than 15 million COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and more than 285,000 deaths.