Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
UPDATE: Aspirus said last month when announcing their new policy there are some conditions that can be met for those who refuse vaccinations and want to keep their job.
“Aspirus has been advancing its safety measures as the pandemic environment has evolved. Our internal Covid-19 safety program is requiring that all staff members receive the vaccination, or complete the following activities:
• Sign a formal waiver due to religious or medical reasons.
• Complete a robust educational class.
• Perform regular Covid-19 testing.”
Over 100 people protested outside Aspirus Keweenaw’s main entrance in Laurium Friday afternoon against vaccine mandates. They claim the hospital is set to begin firing personnel who refuse inoculation next week. Craig Bekkala said the issue is one of fundamental freedom and believes that there are legitimate reasons to refuse, moreso than for other diseases like the measles.
Bekkala says that he expects resistance for the mandate will only grow. A famous Upper Peninsula meteorologist announced earlier this week that he was being let go for his refusal to be vaccinated. The story has picked up national attention and the station has had to eliminate comments on its social media pages due to the backlash.
Late Friday, the Food and Drug Administration unequivocally rejected Pfizer’s application to begin booster shots for its mRNA vaccine. Additional doses were only approved for at-risk elderly individuals, very similar to the regimen already in place for immunocompromised Americans. The panel said it was deeply concerned about the potential for increased incidence of heart disease, following a University of California – Davis study saying teenage boys are harmed more than helped by the vaccine.
Pfizer had to admit that the efficacy of its vaccine against the delta variant craters in mere months.
With booster shots tabled, the FDA decision effectively ends use of the most popular vaccine option in the United States. This week’s data provide a fatal judgment against the new technology once hailed as a miracle. It will almost assuredly open up universities and school districts who have moved in recent months to require vaccinations to significant liability. That includes the state’s largest colleges like the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and Wayne State University.
