What are your opinions about care home workers refusing to have the covid-19 vaccine?

Cher_Alumni

In yesterday's Metro it was reported that almost half (40%) of care home workers might refuse to have the covid-19 vaccine when it's rolled out across the nation.  

Reasons for not wanting the jab were cited as fear and workers with pre-existing conditions being reluctant and wanting to wait a while before making the decision.

This scenario leaves care home managers with many problems, namely:

‘If someone next year catches Covid in my home and it comes from a staff member who’s not vaccinated, who bears liability there? Is it me or my employee? ‘Or the government for not making it mandatory? Can I stop them working? I can’t make it a condition of employment, they’re well within their rights to expect to get paid and come to work.’

While, if you had a relative who caught covid-19 while in a care home, how would you feel?  Would you be angry yet stand by their right to make independent choices?  Or, do you think it should be mandatory as someone who's job is to protect others?

I'd be interested to hear your opinions.  And as always, remember to keep it friendly and respectful of other members' thoughts

[Deleted User]

I think more testing needs to be done of the Covid-19 Vaccine to determine side effects etc then more people will be open to taking it.

janer1967

They should have the right to refuse like anyone else after all little is known yet about side effects and it is their body and their decision 

They should have weekly tests and follow all other guidelines 

The same question should be directed to care home residents if they refuse the vaccine does it mean they wont be allowed in the care home and visitors to the care home also 

OverlyAnxious

Sounds like scare mongering from the Metro tbh...  40% 'might' refuse it?  Who cares?  Wait and see who actually refuses when they're allowed it rather than worrying people now.  I'm really not a fan of the media. 

I don't believe that anyone should be forced to have it.  But in this case I think they should alter job roles so that they're not in close contact with the most vulnerable people if they do refuse.

chiarieds

I think we should realise that even if the vaccine is 90% effective, that still means 1 in 10 people, even if vaccinated, could still contract Covid-19. Bearing that in mind I don't think anyone should be discriminated against for not having it. As mentioned above, the same guidelines need to be used as are already in place anyway. However, I do feel that @OverlyAnxious thought that non-vaccinated care home workers should not be in close contact with vulnerable residents sounds like a reasonable precaution.

[Deleted User]

The problem with care Homes in general is that they're run on a skeleton staff even before the Pandemic because nobody wants to work 60 hours a week for only slightly above min wage, which is what the care sector pays now.