Thousands of San Diego County healthcare workers seek vaccination exemption

President Biden’s new coronavirus vaccination mission requires all federal workers and contractors, including all health care workers across the country, to receive their shots or lose their jobs.

However, evolving experience with California’s unique vaccination obligations shows that there is another way to remain unvaccinated.

Officials said Thursday that the new federal vaccination program will require tax exemption in a similar loophole in California, where anyone announced vaccinations for “narrow” religious reasons or if they have a qualified disability. Said it would be possible Delegation For healthcare professionals on August 5th, which will take effect on September 30th.

According to a survey of health care providers in San Diego County last week, thousands have demanded such an exemption, mostly citing religious reasons.

Sharp HealthCare, the region’s largest medical system, received more than 700 requests for religious exemption, with UC San Diego Health reporting 610 and Scripps Health reporting more than 400. These numbers represent about 3% of the total workforce of each organization. 16,000 to about 22,000 workers.

Kaiser Permanente San Diego and Lady Children’s Hospital did not show the number of employees who filled out the exemption form, but said North County Palomar Health received only 22 people.

Dr. Ghazala Sharieff, Corporate Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Scripps, said concerns about stem cell and vaccine development are the most common reasons for religious exemption.

“We also have a share of people who say,’My body is my temple,'” said Shariev.

Sharp’s chief operating officer, Brett McLean, said the breakdown seems familiar.

“I think more than 90% of our religious exemptions cite Christian reasons for stem cells,” said McClain. “The rest is in line with the policy of’I control my body.'”

Maria Wiley, an orthopedic medical assistant at a major local medical institution, said she had recently received a religious exemption, although she didn’t name her, but had to stay patient to get approval.

“In my religion, my conscience tells me to go as I want to have my body as a temple,” she said. “I don’t believe in the fetal cells they made these vaccines.

“Materials, I don’t match them. Long-term side effects have not yet been determined.”

However, scientists have repeatedly pointed out that long-term side effects are not generally vaccine-related. Most appear within 2 months after administration.

When it comes to stem cell issues, many scientific sources around the world say the same thing. Yes, stem cells from selective miscarriage in the 1960s and 1970s were used in “proof of concept” research early in the research process. Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines, but do not contain stem cell material in their own right. Cells collected decades ago can be cultured and continue to grow indefinitely, providing a source of human cells for use throughout biomedical research. However, the cells used today are generations away from the cells originally obtained after selective abortion.

After reviewing the evidence and studying the vaccine in detail, the Vatican said: statement On December 17, 2020, “All vaccinations found to be clinically safe and effective, the use of such vaccines will formally cooperate with abortion of the cells used in the production of the vaccine. It can be used conscientiously with the specific knowledge of not configuring. Derived. “

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Freedom Commission resemble Statement of December 15, 2020.

Wiley says she is a non-denominational Christian and adds that her church, which she did not name but attends regularly, supports her choice to apply for and receive exemptions. rice field.

Health providers are now in a position to decide whether to allow such a request.

Shariev said it was a ruling that there were no clear rules. How confidently does a company whose mission is to heal patients determine that the professed religious reservation is honest and not?

“We’ll need a state explanation on how to deal with this situation, but we haven’t received it yet,” Shaliev said.

McClain said he did not want to receive a march order from the regulatory agency, which probably meant that many religious exemption requests would simply be approved.

“It is probably us who make decisions based on what is presented to us, and it will be difficult to interfere with someone’s professed religious beliefs,” he said.

State obligations require medical personnel who are exempt to play a clinical role and, if wearing a mask, be tested for coronavirus twice a week.

The California Public Health Service was asked in a statement whether such guidance would soon be available, stating that state orders “do not limit employers to impose stricter requirements” and are valid religious. He said there were no plans to further clarify what constitutes an exemption. The California Hospital Association has also left, and in its own email, religious exemption requests are likely to be “state-wide”, but the organization lacks “data or insights on this issue.” I am saying that.

It’s not entirely clear whether California hospitals can afford to deny a request for exemption, for obvious reasons. All of this is due to pandemic fatigue, a surge in demand for services, and a shortage of staff caused by the recent migration of US temporary health care workers to southern states where the COVID pandemic is becoming more serious. I’m involved.

Requesting a medical exemption is also a good reason to remain unvaccinated, but there may be a more difficult and rapid scientific reason for the condition to be eligible.

Sharp has received 100 medical exemption applications in addition to 700 religious beliefs, McLean said. However, campaigns to vaccinate employees have also been relatively successful, pushing tissue-wide vaccination rates from 80% to 88%.

He added that the group of people who really care is about 1,300 employees who have not yet proved that they have been vaccinated and have not applied for any kind of tax exemption. From September 30, he said, the state’s mission requires employees working in clinical and non-clinical roles to be given unpaid leave.

They will have a month to get vaccinated before suffering from the outcome of their final career.

“Under state orders, their employment will then end,” McLean said. “It will certainly be a difficult situation, as we are already in a situation where it is difficult to staff in different ways.”

Sharieff said the final number of vaccinations at the end of the month would basically be determined this week, given the three-week wait between the first and second doses of the two-dose vaccine.

She said the organization is offering additional vaccination clinics to the facility to facilitate that 15% of employees are not yet fully vaccinated.

Currently, 500 employees are waiting to receive a second shot, but last week there were about 100 test takers in the 790 available vaccination slots reserved for employees to take their first shot. was.