"Don't Want to Get COVID Vaccine"... Controversy Over UK Doctor Opposing Mandatory Vaccination for Medical Staff

Vaccination.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] Amid the passage of a mandate for healthcare workers to receive COVID-19 vaccinations in the UK, some medical staff have sparked controversy by refusing to get vaccinated.

On the 8th (local time), Sky News and The Times reported that Sajid Javid, the UK Secretary of State for Health, visited the intensive care unit of King's College Hospital in London on the 7th to seek opinions on the mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare workers but faced protests. Earlier, in December last year, the UK House of Commons passed a bill requiring staff who have direct contact with patients in the National Health Service (NHS) to be vaccinated against COVID-19 starting from April in order to continue working.

However, Steve James, an anesthesiologist in the hospital’s intensive care unit, told the minister, "I have not been vaccinated and do not want to be." James, who has been treating COVID-19 ICU patients since the start of the pandemic, argued, "The vaccine’s virus transmission suppression period is 8 weeks for the Delta variant and probably even shorter for the Omicron variant. Should I be fired just because I am unvaccinated? The scientific evidence is insufficient."

James added, "There are colleagues who share my position," and said, "If someone has already contracted COVID-19 and has antibodies, isn’t it unfair to prevent them from working just because they are not vaccinated?" He also suggested reconsidering the mandatory vaccination policy for healthcare workers in light of the Omicron variant’s spread and proposed changing regulations to allow medical staff with antibodies to continue working.

Minister Javid responded, "I respect and understand James’s opinion, but there are other perspectives, and all alternatives must be weighed and compared," adding, "Antibodies acquired after COVID-19 infection will also weaken after a certain point. The government is receiving the best advice from vaccine experts." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for King's College Hospital stated, "We are encouraging staff to get vaccinated according to government policy, and the current vaccination rate is nearly 90%."