Photo Credit: Associated Press
A vaccine mandate is in place starting November 1. Even with the mandate, thousands of New York City (NYC) municipal workers defied the mandate and are now on unpaid leave.
According to a very recent article from ABC News, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement that an estimated nine thousand city workers were put on unpaid leave. The workers called out sick in an apparent protest over the requirement.
Even with the vaccine’s proven effectiveness against COVID, resisters still refuse to get vaccinated.
“About nine in ten city workers covered by the mandate have gotten vaccinated and there have been no disruptions to city services as a result of staffing shortages,” said de Blasio to reporters at his daily news briefing. ABC News states that New York has more than three hundred thousand city employees.
Despite the protest, de Blasio has maintained a positive outlook for NYC, thanking workers who decided to get vaccinated. “I want to thank everyone who got vaccinated,” de Blasio said. “Thank you for getting vaccinated. Thank you for doing the right thing. Thank you for moving us forward.
In NYC, many people, including workers have put up a strong and formidable resistance to receiving vaccinations that city officials are fighting.
According to ABC News, as of October 31, “one in four of the city’s uniformed firefighters still hadn’t gotten a first dose of the vaccine, as required. About one in six police personnel and one in six sanitation workers were still unvaccinated.”
From a personal standpoint, these vaccine mandates are needed. It is true that they can pose an inconvenience, such as not allowing people into certain restaurants unless they show proof of vaccination (vaccination cards). These inconveniences, however, would be for the greater good. They would help all of us in the long run.
I find the debate about inconveniences pertaining to vaccines to be similar to the discussion involving masks.
Resisters do have genuine reasons for not getting a COVID vaccine such as an allergic reaction to the ingredients and autoimmune conditions.
There are, however, myths such as the one that vaccines in general do not work, when in fact they are the reason smallpox worldwide has been eradicated.
There is also the myth that COVID vaccines are causing variants when it is really the virus itself that produces them.
More of these debunked myths can be found on this article for Healthline, a provider of health-related information.
In addition, fierce resisters like to bring up their freedom of choice. While it is true people can choose not to get the vaccine, their choice does not protect them from the consequences. For example, do not expect to be hired for some jobs, or expect to be fired from your place of work for not following the mandate.
It is important for all of us to do our part so we can fight this pandemic, make sure the virus cannot get more dangerous than it already is, and bring life back to normalcy.
