Jennifer Bridges, RN, a nurse at Houston Methodist Hospital, doesn’t want the COVID-19 vaccine, which is now required to keep her job, and has started a Change.org petition to garner support against the policy, reports CBS affiliate KHOU.
On March 31, Houston Methodist implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for staff, giving current employees until June 7 to get the shot. As of April 23, 89 percent of employees have been vaccinated, according to an email sent to staff from Houston Methodist President and CEO, Marc Boom, MD, and shared with Becker’s.
The hospital is the first in the U.S. to require staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Of 26,000 employees, Dr. Boom said about 3,000 employees still need the vaccine, reports KHOU.
“I think our rights as human beings are more important than keeping that job,” Ms. Bridges told KHOU. Nearly 5,000 people have signed Ms. Bridges’ online petition titled “Covid Vaccine should not be Mandatory or Termination!!”
All Houston Methodist employees have had to get a flu vaccine each year for the last 10 years. Dr. Boom told KHOU the hospital is allowing the same exemptions that it does for the flu shot, along with an additional deferral for pregnant women.
Ms. Bridges has worked at Houston Methodist for more than six years, and told KHOU she understands the need for safety and infection control measures. Ms. Bridges said she just wants more time for the FDA to study the three vaccines and that she wants a vaccine that’s fully approved by the government.
Read full story here: Source: Why 1 Houston Methodist nurse is refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, even though it means losing her job