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

Nurses COVID

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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?

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Specializes in PICU.

I am guessing mandatory. Similar to the H1N1 vaccine. Flu vaccine and COVID vaccine will not be the same There still will be a flu vaccine, different viruses.

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Specializes in Psych.

There's no way it'd be mandatory. Only half of Americans polled would take a COVID vaccine if it were offered. And bear in mind, unlike the flu vaccine, a COVID vaccine would be brand new and thus would be a rushed job and untested in a broad populace for a substantial period of time. There will be many millions who will refuse to be guinea pigs for it. And the last thing the general public wants is a great social upheaval where nearly half the healthcare workforce immediately went unemployed because they refused to take a brand new vaccine.

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Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

Since the COVID-19 caused a worldwide pandemic, I expect hospitals and SNF's, healthcare facilities to require staff to get vaccine, just like they currently do for flu. Philadelphia, PA health systems offer mandatory free flu vaccines; expect them to offer Covid vaccine once proven effective and available.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.
5 hours ago, NRSKarenRN said:

Since the COVID-19 caused a worldwide pandemic, I expect hospitals and SNF's, healthcare facilities to require staff to get vaccine, just like they currently do for flu. Philadelphia, PA health systems offer mandatory free flu vaccines; expect them to offer Covid vaccine once proven effective and available.

The "proven effective" and "available" parts are both very worrisome with our current federal leadership.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I think it will vary from place to place, as flu vaccine varies now. Some places will add it to their mandatory list. Others won't. Timing may also vary. Some places may make it mandatory right away. Others may wait awhile to see how things go.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, Transport, L&D, Hospice.

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

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It is sure looking that way. We have been lucky and not had any Covid where I work but we are now required to get a Covid 19 test once a week. It is mandatory and we do not know how long this will go on. It is highly political and I would dare any so called experts to demonstrate or prove that it is effective in stopping the spread. There is no way to do it especially with the number of cases in a rapid decline right before all this testing began. Newest headlines point to millions of tests being made available by the new year. We can see that our employer is making us available to use up the covid tests national guard has so thoughtfully brought in. We thought they were going to be for sick people but now we are primarily testing people with 0 symptoms multiple times.

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As to the vaccine I have no doubt it will be made free of charge by our employer or the government. Our tax dollars will pay for it. Will it be tested safe or effective? No, there will not be any time for proper safety trials because it is a "warp speed" job. This will not stop it from becoming Mandatory. https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/05/28/state-bar-calls-for-mandatory-covid-19-vaccinations-regardless-of-objections/

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On 6/4/2020 at 3:26 PM, Anne36 said:

As to the vaccine I have no doubt it will be made free of charge by our employer or the government. Our tax dollars will pay for it. Will it be tested safe or effective? No, there will not be any time for proper safety trials because it is a "warp speed" job. This will not stop it from becoming Mandatory. https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2020/05/28/state-bar-calls-for-mandatory-covid-19-vaccinations-regardless-of-objections/

This is scary. Someone else mentioned H1N1 mandatory vaccination, I wasn't a nurse back then, but due to the media scare factor I did get the vaccine and almost died at a Walgreens location. My BP dropped, I couldn't breathe ended up in ER was told I am highly sensitive to the vaccine . I did get the regular influenza vaccine once more when working in acute care, again with adverse effects, albeit not so bad.

I don't know what I would personally do if there was no other option but get the vaccine.

On a side note, I also had a similar reaction to an MMR boost I got when I moved here to the US. No adverse reactions to tetorifice shot, Hep B series. My body is really strange.

On 6/3/2020 at 2:57 PM, RNNPICU said:

I am guessing mandatory. Similar to the H1N1 vaccine. Flu vaccine and COVID vaccine will not be the same There still will be a flu vaccine, different viruses.

Did they force everyone in healthcare to get the vaccine? I wasn't a nurse back then

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

I wasn't required to get the H1N1 at that time, but suspect that this will not be the same...My hospital already resorts to bullying and bribery for the yearly flu shot....

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I'm old enough to remember the polio epidemic and what happened when the first vaccine was administered. I have to pass on a vaccine until it is proven to be safe.

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