Working in healthcare, it astounds me how many people have turned vaccination into a political argument. Really, it’s a health issue. But to some, the vaccine has become a symbol of individual rights, including the right to choose.
Vaccines are nothing new. Vaccines are the reason you don’t hear about children having polio or measles very much anymore, not to mention mumps, diphtheria, and tetanus. Another great example: most of us remember when everyone got chickenpox at some point in their childhood. Almost overnight, that went from every child in every household to nearly none. Almost no chickenpox, thanks to a vaccine.
Vaccines should be seen for what they are: a medical treatment that saves lives.
For the record, I believe everyone does have a right to choose. But people who choose not to get the vaccine need to understand that their choice can negatively affect the health and well-being of others. Vaccines are crucial in our fight against COVID. Those who do not believe in the vaccine point to the fact that some of the new cases are in the vaccinated, even though the vast majority are in the unvaccinated. The vaccine works – and the small number of people who do get COVID after vaccination are either asymptomatic or have a very mild case – similar to a cold. The COVID cases that are overwhelming our hospitals are almost entirely unvaccinated patients. The science is clear: vaccination is helping protect everyone and especially those who are older and/or have underlying health problems.
As of October 10th, every Copley employee will need to be vaccinated unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption. Copley’s responsibility is to keep our residents, rehab patients, and staff as safe as possible. It’s a life-or-death responsibility I take seriously. The vaccine is one of our best tools yet to protect our facility, so it makes good healthcare sense to encourage full vaccination of our employees and all visitors.
I hope we can all come to see this vaccine as a symbol of community, not division. It’s simple. The more people who get the vaccine, the more protected we’ll all be.
So, for the sake of your loved ones and your whole community, please get vaccinated! Don’t let some misinformation on the internet sway you from what almost every medical professional will tell you: getting the vaccine is a choice that will literally help save lives.