At A Glance:
- Department of Justice writes opinion, states vaccine mandates legal.
- Department of Veterans Affairs mandating vaccines for all healthcare workers.
- All New York City employees must vaccinate or submit weekly tests starting in September.
- All California state employees and healthcare workers must vaccinate or submit weekly tests starting in August.
The Department of Justice has released an opinion, dated July 6, 2021, on the legality of vaccine mandates, specifically the COVID vaccines under EUA (Emergency Use Authorization). The opinion states:
“As access to the COVID-19 vaccines has become widespread, numerous educational institutions, employers, and other entities across the United States have announced that they will require individuals to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, enrollment, participation, or some other benefit, service, relationship, or access.”¹
“For instance, certain schools will require vaccination in order for students to attend class in person, and certain employers will require vaccination as a condition of employment.”¹
There are certain conditions that need to be put into practice in order for the mandates to stand, according to the opinion:
“…directs FDA to impose conditions on an EUA ‘designed to ensure that individuals to whom the product is administered are informed . . . of the option to accept or refuse administration of the product, of the consequences, if any, of refusing administration of the product, and of the alternatives to the product that are available and of their benefits and risks.’”¹
For the COVID vaccines, the FDA implemented this by way of the Fact Sheet for Recipients and Caregivers to be made available to all who are considering the vaccine before it is administered. Recipients must also be made aware they have the option to accept or refuse, however, the entity enforcing the vaccine mandate may make their services or benefits limited to those who accept. This may include in-person classes as well as jobs.
Mandates for VA
The Department of Veterans Affairs made vaccinations mandatory on Monday, July 26, for all healthcare workers. This is the first federal agency to do so. The mandate goes into effect in eight weeks. Employees will receive an additional four hours of paid leave after providing proof of full vaccination. Vaccines are available to all employees through the VA medical system.²
Mandates and Reactions For NYC
Following the VA lead, Mayor Bill deBlasio of New York City announced new requirements for all city employees. Employees including, police, fire, EMS, teachers, sanitation, and others would either need to be fully vaccinated or undergo COVID testing weekly starting mid-September. The new requirements add to last week’s requirements for all healthcare workers in the city to be vaccinated.³
The eight week deadline gives time for people to go through the vaccine process. In the meantime, any unvaccinated employee who does not wear a mask indoors will face consequences. While DeBlasio did not go into details as to what those consequences are, Renee Campion, New York Commissioner of Labor Relations, said,
“workers who are unvaccinated and refuse to wear a mask will be removed from the work site and won’t be paid.”⁴
In response, FDNY EMS Local 2507, spoke out opposing the mandates without collective bargaining:
“FDNY EMS Local 2507 is strongly opposed to these new workplace mandates being forced upon all 4,300 of our members by Mayor de Blasio. These must be a subject of collective bargaining. The city and the mayor cannot simply disregard the civil liberties of the workforce. The United States FDA has YET to give final approvals of the Covid-19 vaccinations and that remains troubling for some. The union is open to dialogue with the city about the details around Covid vaccinations and testing. More immediately, will testing be done on duty or has overtime been authorized to accomplish this new mandate? Will the city provide for and pay for weekly testing, or are our EMT’s, Paramedics and Fire Inspectors expected to fund this out of their own pockets? Our members at FDNY EMS are highly trained medical professionals, yet they continue to be disrespected and disregarded by city leadership, which believes we can feed our families on poverty wages. Instead of dictating more royal edicts upon workers, the mayor should instead concentrate on providing more support for the women and men who serve as New York City’s medical first responders. I am calling on all public employees to stand up and make their voices heard loud and clear to the Mayor.”⁵
The United Federation of Teachers spoke in favor of the mandate suggesting the mandatory testing would offer an option to the vaccine.⁶
California Follows Suit
In California, 238,000 state employees and 2 million health care workers will be required to either show proof of vaccination or undergo weekly testing starting in August.
“As the state’s largest employer — we’re leading by example. Vaccines are the solution. We encourage local governments and other businesses to follow suit,”⁷ Newsom stated in a tweet.
Newsom is facing a recall election in September for his unpopular handling of the COVID pandemic.
Mandates For Colleges and Universities
Increasing numbers of colleges and universities are also issuing vaccine mandates. The mandates vary from school to school. Some include faculty and staff, some are limited to students in-person. Other schools are relying on incentives to encourage students to get the vaccine. From scholarships to no COVID testing, freer movement on campus and participation in activities, schools are hoping that students will take it upon themselves to decide to get vaccinated. Other schools are staying out of the discussion and allowing students to make their own choices, no questions asked.⁸
Hold the Phone — Doc’s Thoughts:
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: where there is risk, there must be choice. Jobs and education are being held as carrots to accept the vaccine. The choice is seemingly being cast aside for these people. I say “seemingly” because as hard as the choice may be, they still have one. If they collectively work together to quit, to look for other schools, or otherwise vote with their talents and dollars, these places will wake up. Will it be an easy path? Likely not. Is it worth it? I’d say so.
Under the EUA requirements, the vaccine must provide a higher known potential benefit than known potential risk. Breakthrough cases, blood clots, myocarditis and pericarditis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome, heart attacks. How many more “known potential risks” do we need to see? What about the 491,217 reports of adverse events reported on VAERS? The 11,405 deaths? This is just to grant EUA status – Emergency Use. Now we are talking about mandating it!
These blanket mandates aren’t taking natural immunity into account. There is a known increase in risk when someone with natural immunity is vaccinated. We also know that natural immunity is superior to whatever protection the vaccine may offer. Why is the vaccine the only option when we can test someone’s immune system?
Did you notice that New York City and California, as well as some colleges and universities are offering an alternative: weekly testing. Let’s slow down and look at this one. What does the vaccine do? Prevent you from getting COVID? Nope, we’ve all heard about the breakthrough cases. Transmission? Nope. It’s said to reduce symptoms. Remember the “asymptomatic spreaders” of last year? Now hold that thought a minute. Who’s getting tested weekly? Unvaccinated. With or without symptoms? Seemingly, according to all of the statements and articles I can find, it doesn’t matter. So, stay with me here, the CDC recently said that those vaccinated would not need to be tested, even if they are presenting symptoms, unless they are hospitalized or died. Yet, all unvaccinated under these mandates will face weekly tests? What do you think is going to happen? You’ve heard the phrase “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” right? How do you think we got there? Who’s being tested? And who wants to subject themselves to a test weekly if they could just take a jab and get it over with?
If we think these mandates aren’t going to try to spread as fast as they are telling us the virus is, we’re sadly mistaken. Already, the CDC is talking about putting masks on our kids again, even after they’ve been proven ineffective and present risks! As of today, the CDC is joining the WHO in telling people who’ve been vaccinated to mask up again. The truth is, these variants aren’t nearly as dangerous as they’d have us believe, and the risk isn’t as dire, especially to our children!
At The Wellness Way, we will always advocate for medical freedoms. If you want to take the vaccine, you have the freedom to do so. We suggest you take the time to inform yourself of the risks and benefits so that you can make an educated decision, not one based on emotion. If you choose not to take the vaccine, you should also have the freedom to make that decision. This isn’t a decision for corporations or governments to make, this is a very personal decision based upon your own risk/benefit assessment and values. These are your rights, endowed by your Creator, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
¹https://www.justice.gov/olc/file/1415446/download
²https://www.foxnews.com/politics/veterans-affairs-covid-vaccine-mandate-health-care-personnel
⁴https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/nyc-union-against-de-blasio-mandate-vaccinated-covid-tests
⁵https://abc7ny.com/nyc-vaccine-mandatory-vaccination-passport-de-blasio/10910080/
⁶https://www.uft.org/news/press-releases/uft-statement-on-new-york-city-vaccinationtesting-policy
⁸https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/06/23/colleges-covid-vaccine-mandates-divide/
