Vaccine mandates are a touchy subject because COVID-19 is a touchy subject. Along with masks, vaccine requirements have taken on religious weight as refusers cite conscience objections and much of the secular Left adopts the garb and rituals of COVID mitigation as objects of faith and symbols of a tribe.

Another reason vaccine mandates and requirements are so contentious is that the public discourse around them is hopelessly murky, thanks to conflations, imprecisions, and distortions. It’s crucial for commentators, employers, and policymakers to sort some things out.