Should the coronavirus vaccine be mandatory?

Promising results from clinical trials of three coronavirus vaccines have brought new hope for ending the pandemic. But a vaccine, or a combination of vaccines, will not be effective if people refuse to take it.

Experts estimate that at least 60 percent of Americans will need to be vaccinated to stop the virus from spreading to the rest of the population. The question of how to achieve that goal raises a number of logistical and ethical questions. Among the thorniest is whether the vaccine should be mandatory.

A universal national...