CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. – As of Wednesday evening, more than 54,000 Virginians had been vaccinated against COVID-19. The majority of those individuals are health workers at the forefront of the pandemic.
Healthcare personnel and long-term residents are listed under Phase 1a in the Virginia COVID-19 Vaccination Prioritization Guidance.
Although they now have priority, not everyone is willing to roll up their sleeves.
“I’m just concerned about injecting something into my body that has developed so quickly, and I don’t know what the long-term effects will be,” said a Chesterfield nurse.
The 29-year-old Chesterfield nurse, who does not want to be identified, is not alone. Thousands of health workers are divided on social media as to whether they should get the vaccination.
The Virginia Department of Health assured the public on Wednesday that the vaccine is safe. VDH says financial barriers have been removed in the global effort to facilitate accelerated vaccine rollout.
“All steps of the safety assessment have been carried out. There was (sic) no cutbacks, no things were renounced because of the need to market the vaccine. These vaccines have undergone the same rigorous, rigorous scientific review by independent scientists to say that these vaccines have been found to be safe and effective, ”said Christy Gray, director of the immunization division of VDH.
Traveling Virginia nurse Tempest Schaller was sent to New York City at the start of the pandemic.
“You knew it was bad,” said Schaller. “I sometimes saw the 18-wheelers with the freezer, like the freezers full of corpses, leaving the hospital three or four of those trucks in one day,” she added.
Schaller says she will be vaccinated because it is her responsibility as a first responder and because of her experience in New York.
“Until you saw your patients drowning, I had almost no patient in New York who didn’t, you know, I had one man I took to the ICU to say goodbye to his mother who died three hours later, you know. you, whose father had already passed away and lost a brother and a nephew and a child, all from COVID. You know, and that was, that wasn’t an uncommon story. You know, and I just think it’s hard for people who live in places where COVID has not been so affected, to understand it, ”said Schaller.
“I’m a nurse, my whole profession revolves around science and medicine and the belief that those things work. There’s literally decades and decades and decades of research backing this vaccination, you know, so to me it’s like every little risk is worth it. Because only the chance that we can try to nip this virus in the bud before it gets so much worse. It’s worth it to me. “
“I’m afraid people think we’ll get the vaccine, and this will all go away,” said the Chesterfield nurse. “Ultimately, COVID is a virus and viruses are all around us, and it’s really not going away. It’s here to stay. So we have to figure out a better way. “
Governor Northam says he does not intend to make the vaccine mandatory, but says he thinks there may be situations where employers can do so. He says he will leave that to companies, but says he will support their decisions.
“I just worry that my personal rights will be violated by making it mandatory, and so it may lead me to change my career because I don’t want to be forced into my body to inject something that makes me uncomfortable”, said the Chesterfield nurse.
Under the guidelines of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, employers can require workers to get a COVID-19 vaccine and ban them from the workplace if they refuse. There are two exceptions for people with disabilities or for “genuine” religious beliefs that prevent them from getting vaccinated.
Rely on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com for full coverage of this important evolving story.
Precautions covid19
Most patients with COVID-19 have mild to moderate symptoms. However, in a small proportion of patients, COVID-19 can lead to more serious illnesses, including death, especially in the elderly or those with chronic medical conditions.
COVID-19 mainly spreads through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Symptoms appear within 14 days of exposure to an infectious person.
Virginia health officials urged the following precautions:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- Only use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
- Do not touch your eyes, nose and mouth. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- Stay at home when you are sick.
- Avoid contact with sick people.
- Avoid non-essential travel.