The cardiologist I complained to was the correct person to hear complaints. He said that because Washington State is a right to work state, there is nothing that they can do about nurses etc who refuse to be vaccinated. He is very frustrated. He is in a position of power with the Institute where he is employed and said that he would report the nurse. He knew who it was before I told him. He is fed up with the stupidity of half of the health care workers in WA St. who won’t vaccinate, but the administrations hands are tied. He said in that some states, like Texas, health care workers who refuse to vaccinate have been fired, but it can’t be done in WA St.
Marilyn - Did this doctor think that the current vaccines not being FDA-approved yet but are being used under emergency use authorization has anything to do with the ability of the hospital to require staff to be vaccinated?
I’ve only ever heard about right-to-work designation talked about with regard to union membership not being required to keep a job.
No, he didn’t mention the FDA at all. He blamed it all on WA St. being a right to work state meaning that they can not fire employees who refuse to get vaccinated.
It is required for healthcare employees here ¶. Basically get get the shot or be let go.
They do have time to get the shot.
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Right to work means you don’t have to join the union(s) that represent the workers at that workplace in order to work there. Shouldn’t have anything to do with firing workers for not getting vaccinated.
Houston Medical fired a bunch of workers who refused to get vaccinated and Texas is a right to work state. The workers also filed a lawsuit and lost.
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It appears that many states maintain laws that do not require vaccination as a condition of employment. This is ironically true for health care workers.
From a Willamette Week June 30, 2021 story:
“Vaccines are safe and effective and are the best way to protect hospital patients and the hospital workforce from COVID-19, the flu, and other infectious diseases,” says Becky Hultberg, president and CEO of the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems. “Yet health care providers are the only organizations prohibited by Oregon law from considering vaccine requirements for their employees.”
How do medical institution administrators justify this?
There is a growing list of hospitals that are adopting vaccination policies.
After doing a bit of research, I have no idea why employees aren’t being fired in WA ST for not being vaccinated. It seems outrageous to me. The cardiologist/administrator mentioned right to work, but I too see that Texas is a right to work state and they have been successful in firing people.
I have to assume that because Eastern WA is overwhelming extremely conservative, they are afraid that they won’t be able to replace the nurses and maybe even doctors.
I find it inexcusable, and will continue making noise about it.
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It’s because the FDA has not approved the vaccines yet. They are still under emergency use. That means they can’t officially insist on it.
That’s the way it is in California. I assume many other states are the same.
Our public schools are in the same boat, they can’t insist on it until the FDA clears it in totality.
My daughter will be going back to school with a mask because the FDA is dragging their feet.
Losangeles is back to masks indoors because so many people are refusing to get vaccinated.
The hospitals are filling up again.
Let’s be clear though. Virtually all of the hospitalized patients with covid are non vaccinated people.
I really think we should let people make up their minds and allow the people who are anti ax to suffer their own concquences
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My concern about this approach is that it increases the odds of creating a covid variant which the current vaccines do not protect against. My interest in vaccinating others stems in no small part from a concern for my own welfare. 
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I can’t agree Timothy. My husband and I have been extremely careful since the pandemic began, but now we have been subjected to a health care worker who thinks vaccines are not necessary.
The nurse, who was in very close contact with my husband, suggested that since no other patient was in the room, my husband could take off his mask. That is when I asked her if she was vaccinated and she shook her head no. She was masked but it was hanging off of her face.
We had a right not to be subjected to having a nurse who doesn’t believe in the covid vaccination. I couldn’t care less about her right to make her own decision when it could affect my ailing husband’s health.
My husband will probably have to go back to The Spokane Heart Institute for a much more serious procedure in the very near future. I will see if we can insist on having a fully vaccinated nurse. We would go to the Mayo Clinic, if their people are vaccinated, but we don’t want to get on a plane.
Well of course I agree we should all be vaccinated. ESP healthcare workers.
There was a just a tad of sarcasm in my response.
I think since vaccines have been politicized there is no way to break through with any kind of logic.
It has become almost a religious belief.
I don’t see a way out of it until enough people see their friends and family die. Even though that’s already happened.
This pandemic has eroded what I thought were my fundamental beliefs about people. An example of what I’m talking about is the NY Times article linked below.
The article opens by introducing 3 women aged 62 or older who decided not to get vaccinated. The reasons given varied. One thought wearing a mask outside her house would be enough. (Apparently with the Delta variant, not so much?) Another worried vaccination might trigger Covid-19. 
The most absurd (to me) reason was the person who reasoned “I never get sick.” 
But that’s all in past, right? All three people ended up in the hospital struggling to breath due to severe covid. Surely, in hindsight, they have now changed their minds?
Nope.
Yet despite their ordeals, none of them changed their minds about getting vaccinated. “It’s just too new,” Mrs. Billigmeier said. “It is like an experiment.”
I fear for the future of life on this planet. 
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Politics has replaced religion. Trying to have logical discussions about it is not really possible any more.
It has become an identity to either favor or deny vaccines.
It’s nearly impossible to change a persons identity and vaccines are now integral to that.
It’s really too bad, but this is not new. People have been doing this kind of thing for all time.
I live in Ontario and we have 80.35% with one dose and 64.82 with the double dose. We still war masks and socially distance.
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Joan - I suspect your numbers are for a specific age group.
As of last night (July 20th), 69.3% of the total Ontario population had a single shot while 54.2% were fully vaccinated.
Here are the splits by age group:
You are right. This number represents all eligible persons 12 years of age and over. It does not include those who are unable to take the vaccine due to medical conditions.