When a Covid 19 vaccine becomes available, will it be absolutely mandatory for healthcare staff?

[NewRN'16]

When a Covid 19 vaccine will become.available , will it be mandatory for us? I am not against vaccines but I personally have a reaction to the influenza vaccine and chose not to take it. Will they give us the same option, or will it become absolutely mandatory?

What do you guys think?

[herring_RN, ASN, BSN]

On 6/8/2020 at 7:17 PM, NurseSpeedy said:

I’m not that old but old enough to remember trials of bringing back the small pox vaccine when we thought it would possibly be used as bioterrorism after 9/11/01. Media showed a few young healthy people who volunteered for it and said they had never been so sick in their lives. Later the idea faded and the obsession with bringing back the vaccine went away-yet small pox did not come back with a vengeance and COVID19 doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. Hopefully vaccination will be on a voluntary basis until we have a solid background on its safety. Just injecting crap into people hoping for the best is not going to help anyone unless its safe AND effective- if not effective then a false sense of security-like the current COVID19 antibodies test I hear so many patients say they’re getting (eye roll). Sure, hope you were asymptomatic but have a positive antibody test that may or may not be right? Put your damn mask on and shut up if you want elective care (no covid related health care).

I remember too.

Nurses Group Opposes Smallpox Vaccinations-(JAN. 24, 2003)

Citing its opposition to unilateral war against Iraq and other concerns, the California Nurses Association said Thursday it opposes the Bush administration’s smallpox vaccination program, which is scheduled to start today.

The program “inflames public fears, contributing to efforts to generate support for an ill-conceived war,” the association said in a statement...

... The nurses said that although there is no proven evidence of the likelihood of a smallpox attack, there are known dangers from vaccination that can include skin rashes, brain inflammation and blindness.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-jan-24-me-nurses24-story.html

[KR]

On 6/4/2020 at 1:58 PM, toomuchbaloney said:

Do you think that mass vaccination will be offered free of charge to Americans?

Sadly, it wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't FORCED (or an attempt wasn't made at forcing it on ALL Americans) . Not saying I am going to be a Guinea pig, but the way things seem to be going...

[KR]

On 6/17/2020 at 1:07 PM, Waiting for Retirement said:

As one of several who have voiced concerns about the potential for unsafe or ineffective vaccines being presented as exactly the opposite, I can assure you I am not a conspiracy theorist. I am not paranoid, and I am not of the belief that "the government is out to get me". I AM of the belief that with the FDA and CDC changing their normally science-based decision-making to one based on political climate, and changing from Best Practice decisions (ie: PPE use regulations) to "it's what we've got, so it's gotta be good enough, we'll tell them it's good enough" decisions---I'm not placing the same faith in those agencies that I once did.

I don't believe the release in the US of a US-born vaccination will involve a mass conspiracy of "every major government". I do believe that something pushed through for Americans because of daily complaints from the Oval Office about how "it isn't fast enough, go FASTER!" isn't going to stand up to the same stringent testing that would be found in a less politically-charged atmosphere.

I am not a conspiracy theorist. I am a realist. I am a vaccination advocate, and have spent countless hours teaching about what we consider to be 'standard' vaccinations now, and flu shot education. THIS, however, as a "warp speed" release, and potentially NOT reviewed by World Health Organization non-biased experts? Count me out.

W.H.O. being non-bissed? 15% of their money comes from Bill Gates Foundation. There is a reason, IMO, a good one, why the current administration decided to break away from the W.H.O.

[subee, MSN, CRNA]

And what is so awful about taking money from the Gates Foundation? Should the WHO refuse it? Trump's MO is to break away from everything that requires dues because they don't benefit him. If I had to choose between the WHO or Trump, I'd pick the WHO. They're not perfect but much less imperfect.

[CCU BSN RN]

I believe VERY strongly that we'll just be injected walking into work one day. That's probably how we'll find out there is a vaccine, is a surprise needle. And I also think that's the proper choice (mandatory vaccines for health care workers and honestly, for all of the American public). Even if the vaccine is terrible, unless you have a life-threatening allergy to components of the vaccine, it should be mandatory. This disease has been such a strain on our healthcare system and myself and my colleagues personally, as well as on the global economy. I'd like to see a vaccine aerosolized and pumped through the ventilation system at Wal Mart, personally.

Any vaccine reactions, no matter how poorly made the vaccine is, will pale in comparison to the death and destruction we're seeing from COVID-19.

Also by the time a vaccine is available in mass numbers in the US, it's entirely possible that Trump will no longer be POTUS, just as food for thought.

It should be a bipartisan effort to provide for the greater good and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths.

[42pines]

It's simply too early to tell. Further, you might have a choice in which vaccine that you could use. Hepatitis B, which all of you have been offered within 10 days of being hired at a place where you come into contact with potentially infectious materials has two different vaccines.

The older 3 shot series is one that I have had and which my research indicated that getting the series with a tiny chance of adverse effects beat the possibility of contracting Hepatitis B.

Lately though, there is a new 2-shot series. I did some research on it, not enough to advise anyone, but frankly I didn't like it. There appeared to be a possibility that the vaccine could, in some cases, cause problems.

Short take is: I'd opt for the old 3-shot series, but pass on the new 2-shot series.

There are so many vaccines in the works, if one works, it seems likely that there may be others that will work too. Do your research.

Hospitals may well demand vaccination as many do with the influenza vaccine. You could find one of those Covid parties, become infected and then test for antibodies... (not serious!) (And we don't know how long antibodies after infection will remain, anyway).