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FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) – Three North Texas hospital systems require all their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and many healthcare workers disagree with the idea of making the vaccine mandatory.
Late last month, Baylor Scott & White and Methodist Health System announced their employees will need to be vaccinated by October 1, 2021, while Texas Health Resources said their tenure begins September 10, 2021.
The demands have come as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise due to the recent emergence of the highly contagious delta variant.
However, health workers are fighting back, saying the COVID-19 vaccine should be a choice.
Dozens of nurses and healthcare workers gathered outside the Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in downtown Fort Worth on Saturday to protest the warrant.
“It doesn’t matter if you believe in the vaccine or not, it should never be mandatory,” said nurse Keli Culver.
“I’m not here to say that you should get the shot or shouldn’t get the shot. But that you should have a choice, ”said Jennifer Cantu, intensive care and intensive care nurse. “… You are literally telling me to put a serum in my body that can harm me years later.”
“We had an exemption for the flu vaccine called a philosophical exemption. That exemption was removed when they released those COVID vaccine warrants, ”said Lauren Hughes, a nurse who organized the rally on Saturday.
Texas Health Resources released a statement about the protest.
“As Americans, we are privileged to have freedom of speech. As healthcare professionals, we have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our patients. We understand that employees want to share their opinions, but the science is indisputable. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective against the spread of the highly contagious delta variant. Texas Health has an established process in place for employees who request exemptions or need accommodation to meet our employee health requirements for medical or religious reasons.
Hughes said some of the healthcare workers who took part in Saturday’s protest are vaccinated.
“The healthcare professionals in our hospital systems at DFW want our voices to be heard. We want our philosophical exemption returned to us, ”said Hughes.
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