Vaccines - should they be mandatory?

I feel very strongly that nothing should be compulsory. That said, I’m not against private businesses choosing to require a vaccination

No no no no no.
It is definitely not a good idea - we have to be left some personal freedoms.

No I dont think it should be.

I my opinion, it is a choice.
But, if you choose not to have it, then you need to accept that some jobs may be unavailable to you, some travel inaccessible, some events not open to you.
It is taking some personal responsibility isn't it?
I would never force anyone into being vaccinated, but theybthen have to accept the consequences.

varian

Would you be happy to have your elderly parent or vulnerable adult child looked after by a care-worker who refused to be vaccinated?

There will certainly be some employees that are obliged to have vaccine to do the job. Having said that I’m sure many nurses, care workers and doctors have not had all the routine vaccinations.

No, it would be impossible to make it compulsory for every one to be vaccinated, but it must be understood that if a vaccine is refused there may be consequences, as in it not being safe to do certain jobs without a vaccination.

The employee has the right to refuse, but so does the employer.

There is a choice.

I agree totally with Flicker's post 15.45 23.03.21.

Someone I know was not at all keen to have the vaccination but the thought of possibly restricted employment prospects and difficulties accessing some venues in the future has worried him.

He is now going to be vaccinated. Others will think similarly.

I am very sorry for anyone who has a medical condition which means they cannot have the vaccination. That is different from just not wanting it.

Sorry, 15.43.

And yet, didn’t someone say recently that all children starting school in France have to be immunised or no school allowed?

The rights of those being cared for needs to be taken into consideration too as well as the carers. They have the right to be cared for by someone who has taken every precaution to keep them safe including being vaccinated. The carers have a duty of care towards them.

suziewoozie

I don’t want to live in a society where a low paid worker is forced out of work because she doesn’t want the vaccine ( no matter how irrational that may be) and then wouldn’t even be able to claim UC because she’s made herself voluntarily unemployed.

I agree with not making it compulsory, but we also need to consider conflicting rights carefully.

If my DD refuses to send my grandson to school because some of the staff are not vaccinated, will this still be illegal and how will his education be provided?

And the issue of home-schooling would just be red herring here, even if it were feasible I could easily come up with another example where a fulfilling a legal obligation would put you in danger of contact with non-vaccinated people.

We briefly lived in Norway when my DD was at school - they wouldn't take her without a documented TB injection.

The real purpose of vaccination is to protect others - and the problem is that, until recently - and I mean in the last few weeks, it's always been presented to the public as way of protecting yourself.

I think I'm missing something here. If all care home residents for example have been vaccinated, why do unvaccinated staff pose a risk to them?

Smileless2012

I don't think they should be mandatory but anyone who decides not have it should be aware that by not doing so, limitations may be placed on their work and social lives.

Common sense in a nutshell.

I think vaccination should be compulsory for those in close contact with patients - so for doctors, nurses, dentists and care workers etc.

It then becomes a requirement for the job. If anyone feels strongly that they really don't want the vaccine, they can choose a job that's not people-facing - so there's still a choice.

Still, I think a lot of people will change their minds later, if/when they find that they can't go on holiday where they choose!

grannyrebel7, some care home residents will be advised, by doctors, not to have the vaccine. Also, no vaccine is ever 100% effective - so there still remains a risk for some.

Some people in care homes can't be vaccinated due to health problems and have to rely on others being vaccinated.

Sorry Hetty crossed post.

Workers in residential care homes already need Hep B and tetanus vaccinations so I don't see why this is different. This may lead to staffing shortages in the short term in an already understaffed and underfunded area.

If it means that people choosing not to have the jab prevents us coming out of lockdown, and the jab being able to more easily mutate, then I think there may be a moral argument for everyone to be vaccinated.

I understand all the issues about conflicting rights and responsibilities - I think I’m just saying we should as a society think carefully about the consequences of any move like this on people already in employment. That’s all.

sodapop

Workers in residential care homes already need Hep B and tetanus vaccinations so I don't see why this is different. This may lead to staffing shortages in the short term in an already understaffed and underfunded area.

It’s different requiring something after employment rather than before- completely different.

And I assume that people would be happy for people to be refused a care home place if they did not want to be vaccinated.

I would be firmly against mandatory vaccination. It's a thin end of a wedge and I don't care for wedges. Perfectly happy for it to be made a condition of employment in some jobs, though.

As an aside, GG13, I think it might be easier to staff care homes if the pay and conditions were better.

Yes I do agree that mandatory is not the way to go unless specific employment, but I think the moral aspect can be pushed much more.

Thanks Hetty58 and AGAA4 I hadn't thought of that.