When a Covid-19 Vaccine is Available, Will You Take It?

The British Columbia health authority has announced that vaccinations for the coronavirus will begin soon. By the end of summer, 2021, it is expected that the majority of the population will be vaccinated. Yay!

Canada has received 249,000 vials of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine and it’s been approved by Health Canada, which means vaccinations can begin. 4,000 people in British Columbia will get vaccinated in the week before Christmas.

The strategy is to vaccinate front line health workers first. As more doses of Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine are produced and when Moderna and other vaccines become available, more and more people will be vaccinated. People over the age of 80 are a priority. Emergency workers, visitors to nursing homes, essential service workers are expected to be vaccinated by April, 2021. The vaccines will then become available based on age.

Here’s the roll out schedule in British Columbia for the Covid-19 vaccine.

It’s my guess, if things roll out as planned, I’ll be vaccinated for the coronavirus by early summer 2021

So – to answer the question – When a Covid-19 Vaccine is Available, Will You Take It? – my answer is yes!

Herd mentality

The British Columbia health authority says in order to start easing social distancing rules and mask policies, 60 to 70 per cent of the population will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Dr. Henry Bonnie explained that once a large segment of the population has been vaccinated, the coronavirus will find it very difficult to find a body to attach to when over half the population will have the antibodies to reject the virus.

Eventually Covid-19 will peter out.

Is the coronavirus vaccine mandatory?

What happens if you don’t want to be vaccinated against Covid-19?

In British Columbia, and the rest of Canada as far as I know, the coronavirus vaccine will be available to all persons who want to take it.

So reading that in reverse, if you don’t want to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, you’re not required to do so.

I’m not making any judgement calls about what other people plan to do or not do. One person I talked to is unsure if he’ll be vaccinated due to his unease about long-term effects from the coronavirus vaccine.

Some people refuse to take any vaccinations due to religious beliefs.

Other people don’t like needles.

Just a little side story here…

The last two years my father was alive he lived in an extended care nursing home due to his legs not being strong enough to walk, confining him to a wheelchair.

In the fall during flu season, notices went up that all staff and visitors had to be immunized with the flu shot, and if not, they had to wear a face mask.

I saw a few staff wearing face masks, but I’m assuming the majority got a flu shot.

I also got a flu shot because I decided that was easier than wearing a face mask!

I’d never had a flu shot before my father lived in the care facility. I’ve never had another flu shot since he passed away.

So far, so good!

Generally I’m a fairly healthy person and rarely get sick.

What about the workplace?

What happens if the company you work for requires all staff to be vaccinated for the coronavirus?

As you can see from my story about my father’s residence, flu shots were not mandatory, but if you didn’t get the shot, you needed to wear a face mask.

I have a feeling a lot of workplaces will implement a similar rule. Not vaccinated, then wear a face shield.

What about workplaces that require all staff must be vaccinated for coronavirus or they can’t work there? Can a business do that? Is it legal?

Can you get fired if your company has a vaccination policy and you refuse?

Canada and the United States have similar employment laws. A company can fire an employee for any reason they want to as long as it doesn’t violate any discrimination laws.

Well, the coronavirus does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter your race, skin color, or religious beliefs if the virus has attached itself to you.

A company doesn’t even have to tell an employee why they’re letting them go. Could be the boss doesn’t like your car. Or it could be you suck at your job.

Employees get “terminated with cause” or “terminated without cause”.

Either way effectively ends your employment and paycheck. Terminated with cause probably means the employee was doing something really bad, like got caught with their hands in the cash drawer.

Bottom line is if your company has a policy that says all staff must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination, and you refuse, you can be fired.

That’s a judgement call only you can make.

Some people need to make a stand for something they believe in. If you don’t want to be vaccinated, you might be out of work for a few years until the pandemic has officially ended.