The right to follow your doctor’s advice or government mandates for the vaccine is the controversial question looming for many front-line workers? Nurses and other front-line staff were leaving because of burnout or lucrative out-of-state temporary work and now even more plan to resign or be terminated based on the vaccine mandate. The concern is that those who have been vaccinated are still at risk of getting the virus and other variants although the vaccine is reported to lessen the severity of the side effects. Many people who get the virus have very little side effects, while for others, it can be detrimental. Information regarding the vaccine can be tracked through Vaers https://vaers.hhs.gov/.
There is controversial information as it relates to treatments for the vaccine that include Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine which are FDA-approved to treat or prevent malaria. Hydroxychloroquine is also FDA-approved to treat autoimmune conditions such as chronic discoid lupus erythematosus, systemic lupus erythematosus in adults, and rheumatoid arthritis. The FDA states that “the medication should be used for COVID-19 only when patients can be appropriately monitored in the hospital as required by the EUA or are enrolled in a clinical trial with appropriate screening and monitoring.” The FDA is reviewing the safety of their use when used outside of the setting of hospitalized patients for whom use was authorized. There are physicians who believe in the treatment as it has existed for over 65 years and used across the globe.
The current climate indicates that the virus and the vaccine affect people differently and for people who are in their 20s to late 30s, they are unsure of how the shot will affect them long term as the data is not there. By not getting the vaccine, they also face the fear of how the virus and other variants could affect them.
How Different Governors Are Reacting:
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is considering employing the National Guard and out-of-state medical workers to fill hospital staffing shortages with tens of thousands of workers possibly losing their jobs for not meeting the current deadline for mandated COVID-19 vaccination.
Hochul said the state was also looking at using National Guard officers with medical training to keep hospitals and other medical facilities adequately staffed. Some 16% of the state's 450,000 hospital staff, or roughly 72,000 workers, have not been fully vaccinated, the governor's office said. Healthcare workers who are fired for refusing to get vaccinated will not be eligible for unemployment insurance unless they are able to provide a valid doctor-approved request for medical accommodation.
Meanwhile, Florida Governor DeSantis and Texas Governor Abott are against the mandate and fighting for legislation to ban the requirement of vaccinations under emergency use authorizations. They also have banned state and local government mandates for wearing masks. See a list below the link below to learn more about the vaccine mandates for the state you reside in.
https://leadingage.org/workforce/vaccine-mandates-state-who-who-isnt-and-how