The House of Representatives just approved a bill by a majority vote ( 227 against 203 ) abolishing the Covid19 vaccination requirement for healthcare workers in certain medical facilities. The law affects more than 10 million doctors and healthcare workers working in over 76 000 medical facilities across the country.
The bill was introduced by the Republicans who currently hold the majority in the House of Representatives. Very peculiar but yet not so is the observation that 7 Democrats brushed aside their party's views, supported the bill and voted for it.
The bill was debated and voted the day after President Biden's announcement that he would repeal the state of emergency in the USA with regard to Covid19 on 11 May 2023 and also the day after WHO Director-General Tedros declared that Covid19 would remain an emergency worldwide.
The Americans clearly disagree. With the current law, healthcare personnel are free to decide whether to be vaccinated or not. Previously, they had to be fully vaccinated or at least have administered the first dose in all medical facilities funded by the federal government through Medicare or Medicaid, Those who did not comply were fired.
The law must be seen as a catch-up move to rectify the dramatic situation in the healthcare sector. After the introduction of the vaccination requirement under the threat of dismissal, many doctors, nurses and healthcare workers took the safe course of action and resigned themselves, a phenomenon we have incidentally seen in Europe as well. Other vaccine refusers have been fired. Due to the large exodus, the healthcare sector has been facing serious staff shortages for some time, which is also, similar to Europe. These shortages have drastic consequences on the ability to adequately care for patients.
The author of the bill, Republican Michael Burgess, argues that the decision to take yes or no a vaccine is a matter between the patient and his doctor, the federal government should not interfere and vaccination should certainly not be required as a condition of employment.
The law is not limited to Covid19 vaccines but also provides the same freedom in the context of any future health threats. In government-funded medical facilities, there are no other vaccine obligations. The law does however leave open the possibility for non-government-funded hospitals, private institutions and residential care centres to set their own rules. Doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals freely decide whether they accept those rules or not.
The Democrats still have the majority in the Senate and President Biden also has veto power against this law but the House vote does send a strong symbolic signal of the Republicans' opposition to the Covid19 rules introduced by the Biden administration. Those rules, by the way, have also been the subject of a multitude of court proceedings, which ultimately led to the US Supreme Court deciding in late 2022 to further hold on to the vaccine requirement for the healthcare sector. This law now puts an end to that.
It is very doubtful whether President Biden and his administration will have the guts to veto the current law, especially now that more and more studies are being published about serious side effects of the vaccine and the Vaers database is also bulging with recorded side effects including many with fatal outcomes, for which the Biden administration could be held liable.
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