Mandatory Covid vaccine

[Aldilogue]

Hello all.
I'm a nurse in regional NSW. Where I live we have not had a Covid case for 500 days. I work in a private hospital on a surgical ward ( all elective surgeries) mainly orthopaedic surgery but also gastric sleeves, urinary, hysterectomies and sone medical patients as the public hospital is full and we get some overflow.
Our government has released a public health order stating all healthcare workers who work in NSW need to have at least once dose of AstraZeneca or Pfizer before September 30. If you do not you "will be excluded from the workplace".
I'm interested in opinions as I know it's not mandatory in the Uk.

I would not want to be in a vulnerable position in hospital with unvaccinated staff.
Why on earth wouldn't you just get vaccinated.

It's going to be mandatory (in the UK) from November for those working in care homes to be vaccinated

I think we all have to do what we think is best, not only for ourselves but for everyone.

If I was your employer I would be trying to ensure that I made the 'work' environment as safe as it could possibly be and that at the moment would be ensuring that all staff were vaccinated But I would also be interested as to why you thought you did not need/or want to protect yourself.

It's already mandatory for aged care workers here.
As I said in my OP we have not had a case here for 500 days and all patients are screened for Covid because it is elective surgery.
Im talking about choice being taken away. I didnt say if I was vaccinated or not.

What about the patient's choice?

It's elective surgery.

Elective surgery just means it is not an emergency though doesn't it? Surely the patient still has the choice as to whether they want to take the risk with unvaccinated staff.

I would feel extremely uncomfortable with people being forced into taking the AZ vaccine because we know that in rare cases the vaccine itself causes lethal thrombocytopenia. Less concerned if everyone has the choice to take Pfizer. I am sympathetic to people worried about having the vaccine in cases where they have reasonable concerns about how the vaccine might interact with a pre-existing medical condition. Most of all I feel frustrated and angry at health workers who refuse the vaccine for no good reason, thus putting governments into the position of having to consider mandatory vaccination programmes.

The fact that Covid in your area is so low (lucky you!) I don't see as relevant. Delta is so infectious that you are bound to get lots of csses at some point. If you wait until that point before you start mass vaccination, you've left it too late because the vaccines take time to work.

I rhinknits despicable but I know I am in the minority on MN.

Fact remains that patients who have been double vaccinated are more a risk to unvaccinated hospital staff than the reverse.

Mandatory vaccination is pure political grandstanding and is the thin end of an ideological wedge which ultimately will not end well for any of us.

I also think it is despicable and I really harshly judge those who are in favour of forcing people to undergo a medical procedure.

I agree with it being brought in line with other mandatory jabs for healthcare workers - we have mandatory jabs for hcw in UK already such as Hep B - does Aus have similar?

In my opinion as Australia has had so few cases they will really need to have a high proportion of people vaccinated to prevent overwhelming healthcare when they reopen their borders.

Although you say your surgery is elective, For a lot of people awaiting orthopaedic surgery or gastric sleeves it will be life changing.

HCP here already have lots of mandatory vaccinations. It won’t be too long before COVID becomes one of them.

Unvaccinated HCP put patients at risk.

Disclosure, a family member is a nurse in her local hospital. As you should not disclose the vaccination status of anyone who works in a hospital, I think it has to be compulsory.

I'm totally down the middle. If people are vaccinated I think good on you, do want you think is right for you. If someone is not vaccinated I think they have their reasons and have genuine concerns as to why. These reasons aren't always black and white.
My issue is the unelected health minister decided that health workers will be excluded from their workplace if they do not comply with his orders.
I'm pro choice not pro vax or anti vax.
I'm talking about choice being removed not just vax status.
MN holds very strong views and I'm interested if people had thought that this may happen to them.

I think it is wrong on so many levels. Sorry you are being treated this way!

I think if you make an elective decision to work in healthcare, you abide by the rules laid down by the organisation employing you. If you aren’t willing to have a mandatory vaccine, you’ll need to seek a different job.

Does your pro choice trump the patient's pro choice?

I also believe in the freedom of the individual but if I was having a hip replaced or a hysterectomy I would be wanting to ensure that I was in the safest place to have that surgery. What is that saying --- something like the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one???

Should be mandatory everywhere for anyone in a health care setting.

Unvaccinated people are putting others at risk.

Im totally against mandatory vaccinations. They obviously dont work as well as people have been led to believe if people are still getting ill despite being double jabbed and needing a booster come winter. Ive made a choice not to get it and it should be my dedision and my decision alone, nobody owns me as far as im aware.

Have you had the other mandatory vaccines at your place of work ?

@Aldilogue

It's already mandatory for aged care workers here. As I said in my OP we have not had a case here for 500 days and all patients are screened for Covid because it is elective surgery. Im talking about choice being taken away. I didnt say if I was vaccinated or not.

You might have had that long without a case so far, but what happens when the country opens up and allows visitors, tourists, families living abroad? Will the country be able to maintain their no covid stance?

Guess it's thinking about long term as well as right now.

I see no issue with it being mandatory. Why put yourself and others ar risk?

I have had numerous ‘elective’ surgeries, however all were essential and urgent for my health

Being pro choice you will also see that the people you refer to can choose whether or not they want to remain employed. If they choose not to vaccinate they also choose not to retain their job. Entirely their choice.

So tonight the government has announced that anyone who works in a local government area experiencing an outbreak will have to be vaccinated to work by September 6. I'm talking about meat workers, construction workers etc.
They have also made it mandatory for teachers by November 8.
Do that make a difference? They are not health workers. Do they need to find a new career too?

amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/08/26/us/covid-florida-doctor-cancer-patient/index.html

This is what happens to hospitals when the vaccine take up is low.