Some Orange County firefighters oppose vaccine obligations

Orange County, Florida — On Tuesday, negotiations continued between the Union Representative of Orange County Fire Rescue Workers and the county’s Human Resources Department.

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What you need to know

• All Orange County civil servants must be vaccinated with at least one COVID vaccine by September 30
• County employees must be fully vaccinated by October 31st
• Some firefighters oppose COVID vaccine requirements
• Employees can request medical or religious accommodation from the county

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Approximately 25 firefighters who opposed the vaccine obligation attended the meeting and expressed concern.

“I’m here today to fight for my brothers and sisters who are losing their jobs,” said veteran firefighter Jason Wheat at a meeting at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday.

“We’re definitely not an anti-vaccine. If you want to get a vaccine, we recommend that you give it to a firefighter,” said Wheat, who spent 16 years at the agency. “We just want to be able to make informed decisions … it’s our own choice.”

Wheat, a member of a Florida-based group Freedom of choice of operationFor the past year and a half, county firefighters have successfully fought COVID-19 with zero virus deaths.

Meanwhile, four firefighters have committed suicide over the past year due to post-traumatic stress disorders, Wheat said.

“This is having a negative impact on the fire department,” he said. “It’s causing people to lose sleep … I had firefighters call me crying (about) whether they lost their jobs or not.”

just now: @OrangeCoFL Firefighters are negotiating with the county about the proposed vaccine obligations. Addie Soto w / County states that it has been “flooded” with accommodation requests from employees and has received hundreds of people within a few days. This includes 66 people from county firefighters. @ MyNews13 pic.twitter.com/m7aFyKKGxy

— Molly Duerig (@mollyduerig) August 31, 2021

In addition, 43 of these 398 pending accommodation requests were approved. 1 rejected; the rest are pending. Soto said he was aiming for a 24-hour turnaround for these decisions, but is now aiming for 48-72 hours “because flooding was not possible.”

— Molly Duerig (@mollyduerig) August 31, 2021

Accommodation request to avoid coronavirus vaccination. Therefore, if a county employee does not want to get it, they need to submit a request.

The county also confirmed to us that other vaccine obligations are not currently in place. @OCFireRescue employee

— Molly Duerig (@mollyduerig) August 31, 2021

Announced by Mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings County employees were required to be vaccinated with COVID-19 at the end of last month as infection rates soared to record highs. Local emergencies are currently valid For the county until at least September 1st.

According to medical experts, vaccination cannot completely prevent the transmission of the coronavirus, but it significantly reduces the chances of it and significantly reduces the short-term and long-term effects of those infected with the virus. Recent research Due to the involvement of nearly 2 million people in Israel, unvaccinated people infected with the virus have more myocarditis (a potentially more serious type of heart inflammation) than vaccinated people. We found that it was 266% more likely to develop.

Another concern that is becoming an ever-increasing concern for healthcare professionals is the long-term effects of COVID-19, even for those who are asymptomatic after being infected with COVID-19.

“In the next few years, many people infected with this disease may not know it because they are asymptomatic, but they are expected to develop heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease, and brain disease. Said Dr. Jay Wolfson, a professor of public health, medicine and pharmacies at the University of South Florida.

Wolfson, senior vice president of the university’s Morsani Medical College, said doctors called this type of collateral damage “post-infection chronic syndrome.” This is a more serious phenomenon that is different from the “long-distance transport” COVID-19 effect. Reported by many survivors of the virus..

“Even those who have asymptomatic or mild symptoms can develop new chronic illnesses that have never been seen in life, some of the people we are learning now.” It attaches to these organs and will erupt at some point in the future. For some people, it will wait and then erupt later. “

“That’s something everyone needs to worry about,” he added, noting that the delta mutant is “thousand times” more powerful and infectious than previous variants of the coronavirus.

Wolfson acknowledged the inherent difficulty in achieving the ideal balance between personal choice and obligations designed to protect public health. But he said evidence shows that the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination still far outweigh the disadvantages, especially for front-facing service personnel such as firefighters.

“Overcoming personal privileges means finding a way for us as a community, as a society, to do people … without digging into the heels,” Wolfson said.

Firefighters and supporters attending the meeting on Tuesday oppose vaccination obligations with slogans such as “I’m not a laboratory mouse” and “compulsory medical treatment does not belong to a free society.” I clearly showed that.

“Give us freedom of choice,” Wheat said. “Choose whether to vaccinate …. We love what we do and want to continue working.”

Addie Soto of the county’s human resources department said employees who do not wish to be vaccinated could request religious or medical accommodation, and the county would respond in writing regardless of whether the request was approved. rice field.

The county has tried to respond within 24 hours of receiving the accommodation request, but the time frame has been delayed due to the recent “flooding” of more than 200 requests in the last two days, Soto said. Says. As of Tuesday, Mr Soto said the county had received a total of 398 accommodation requests from employees, including 66 from firefighters.

Firefighters who oppose the county’s mission are fighting not only for themselves, but for the members of the community they serve, according to Wheat.

“We want to continue to protect you and provide the best possible service. If you lose 300 to 400 firefighters because of this mandatory vaccine, you can’t do that,” Wheat said. Mr. says.

In a written statement sent to Spectrum News on Tuesday, Orange County’s Human Services Department said that county firefighters currently have no other vaccine requirements.

“Additional impact negotiation sessions are in the process of being scheduled to ensure that members clarify the mayor’s instructions,” the statement partially read. “Regarding the current requirements for employee masks, employees must wear masks at work or while working around others.”

While current infection rates are a concern, it is still possible to mitigate the worst potential effects of delta variants, Wolfson said.

“We are all together,” he said. “I think we’re on the verge of overcoming this delta unless we force too many people to create a reservoir where the variant can transform into something worse.”

Employees of Orange County are currently required to receive either the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine or the initial dose of the double dose vaccine by September 30th. They must be fully vaccinated with COVID-19 by October 31st.

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Molly Duerig is a report for members of the US Corps covering affordable homes in Spectrum News 13. Report for America Is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in the local newsroom to report on unreported issues.