Coronavirus in Massachusetts (Methodist, circuit, 2013)

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

Massachusetts stopped publishing the weekly by-town COVID-19 infection data.

They are still doing the weekly vaccination report for now.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by msRB311

This is interesting, not in MA but a group of nurses chose not to get the vaccine because they felt it was rushed:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nurses-fi...202817653.html

A disturbing number of healthcare workers have refused to be vaccinated, despite the risks that they pose to their patients. It's more the nurses, techs and nursing aides though, rather than the doctors. I've seen them say all kinds of things - the vaccine is still experimental, the vaccine is dangerous and Covid-19 isn't, requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated is a violation of their rights, etc. I haven't seen them say anything that's true, though.

[rach5]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

A disturbing number of healthcare workers have refused to be vaccinated, despite the risks that they pose to their patients. It's more the nurses, techs and nursing aides though, rather than the doctors. I've seen them say all kinds of things - the vaccine is still experimental, the vaccine is dangerous and Covid-19 isn't, requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated is a violation of their rights, etc. I haven't seen them say anything that's true, though.

Employers in high risk settings, like healthcare, nursing homes etc. should absolutely require employee covid vaccination.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

A disturbing number of healthcare workers have refused to be vaccinated, despite the risks that they pose to their patients. It's more the nurses, techs and nursing aides though, rather than the doctors. I've seen them say all kinds of things - the vaccine is still experimental, the vaccine is dangerous and Covid-19 isn't, requiring healthcare workers to be vaccinated is a violation of their rights, etc. I haven't seen them say anything that's true, though.

There's a pretty broad spectrum of qualifications for "nurse". You can get a CNA in 5 or 6 weeks. You can get an RN in four semesters at a community college and it's not particularly rigorous. It's a pyramid-shaped organization chart with a huge need for repetitive task staff to do basic patient care and a smaller number of high skill/highly trained staff who need critical thought capabilities. Not surprising that a lot of health care workers refuse to get vaccinated. At my mother's memory care facility, it was a real battle with the CNAs and support staff in the trenches. The place is a CCRC and has a huge amount of staff. They finally resorted to a cash bonus for anyone who got vaccinated.

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

At my mother's memory care facility, it was a real battle with the CNAs and support staff in the trenches. The place is a CCRC and has a huge amount of staff. They finally resorted to a cash bonus for anyone who got vaccinated.

Nursing homes are literally a ****ty job... wiping old people's butts for Walmart wages. I guess you can't blame them for being apathetic to just about anything. A large chunk probably tested positive or think they got it at some point too. They may think they don't need the vaccine.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

Nursing homes are literally a ****ty job... wiping old people's butts for Walmart wages. I guess you can't blame them for being apathetic to just about anything. A large chunk probably tested positive or think they got it at some point too. They may think they don't need the vaccine.

I don't think there's many of them at all who are refusing who *want* to infect their patients... but there clearly are a lot of healthcare workers who are poorly informed.

And for the people running the place, you can't just let people who pose a risk continue to handle patients - whether you educate staff, persuade them, bribe them or fire them, you need to do something. Patients suffering from their contact with staff should be abhorrent to those at any level in a healthcare facility and moreover, if they wind up with serious morbidity or even death - big lawsuits would be likely, and due.

Vaccine requirements for healthcare workers are actually nothing new.

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

Patients suffering from their contact with staff should be abhorrent to those at any level in a healthcare facility and moreover, if they wind up with serious morbidity or even death - big lawsuits would be likely, and due.

The vaccines not being fully approved would get companies off the hook, I think.

[mdovell]

I couldn't get over the fact that a coworker was nervous about getting tested. She said she hasn't been tested yet and hasn't gotten the vaccine?!? what?!? Uh...I got tested every ten or so days, it's nothing. I seriously don't get what some people are waiting for.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by yesmaybe

The vaccines not being fully approved would get companies off the hook, I think.

I don't think it will. I've heard people *say* that, but it's really just a formality at this point. The data, lots and lots of it, has long been in, and I have yet to hear anyone who is qualified agree with this assessment that it's "still experimental". In any case, there are those will try to use that as their defense for refusing the vaccine, and we're going to find out how that will go over in court.

[yesmaybe]

Originally Posted by OutdoorLover

I don't think it will

For suing I think it absolutely does. I get the impression that most orgs don't agree with anyone saying that they have the authority to force employees to get it while it's still EUA.

One problem I can see is that J&J is very unlikely to get full approval. I don't know what will happen to it once Pfizer or Moderna gets the full approval. I think it will be gone.