By Sen. Tim Scott
Special to the Chronicle
President Biden’s attempt to force employers to make their employees get vaccinated is clear government overreach.
It won’t bring us any closer together as he promised or help us solve many problems we face.
Covid-19 has taken a devastating toll on folks across the nation physically, emotionally and economically.
I want our economy and our country to fully reopen. 
That means getting kids back in school and adults back to work.
But our battle with covid-19 won’t be won by Washington elites making sweeping declarations or federal mandates.
Our nation’s leaders should wotrk together for solutions and bring people together.
Biden’s actions are creating a world of division.
Instead of politicizing this issue, we should encourage folks to unite around commonsense solutions. 
Over the past few months, it has become clear that vaccines provide strong protection against severe illness and death.
This is important to recognize that we can save lives through this approach.
In my home state of South Carolina, around 80% of hospitalized covid patients have not been fully vaccinated. And nationally, unvaccinated people are nearly 30 times more likely to be hospitalized.
In 2020, as many of us lost loved ones to this devastating disease, we prayed for a safe and effective vaccine.
Thanks to Operation Warp Speed, we have not 1, but 3 vaccines.
I believe all signs point to vaccination as the best option. 
That’s why so many people including me have taken the shot.
All of our living presidents from President Donald Trump to President Jimmy Carter are vaccinated.
All of our states’ governors – yes, 27 Republican governors and 23 Democrat governors – are all vaccinated.
And the vast majority of Congress – both Republicans and Democrats – are vaccinated.
Covid-19 has to be fought not by Washington elites and federal mandates but by each member of the South Carolina family. 
As with any other issue facing our nation today, if we work together, we can and will overcome the challenges that we face.
Sen. Scott is a Charleston Republican.

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