Prior infection

“Prior infection”, Carmel Pine Cone – January 4, 2022

In the fall of 2021, CHOMP, Memorial and Natividad laid off their employees who refused to get the coronavirus vaccine. I wrote the three hospital boards that their policy was unwise, unjust and unscientific. The hospitals refused to recognize natural immunity as a bona fide equivalent to vaccination, though numerous studies confirm the superiority of natural immunity and other countries, jurisdictions and employers accept it. The heroic doctors and nurses who labored throughout 2020 and often contracted Covid were terminated in 2021 if they refused vaccination, despite their natural immunity.

Recent developments underscore the harm and injustice of the hospitals’ deci-sions. Our hospitals are dangerously short-staffed and the quality of care declines. The CDD recently released a study affirming natural immunity after Covid infection as equivalent to/or superior to Covid vaccinations  The efficacy of Covid vaccines continues to decline, and the vaccinated are contracting and spreading Covid as well as the unvaccinated. Some hospitals are allowing their personnel to come to work with positive Covid test results. The sad irony is that our hospitals seem to prefer a vaccinated staff member with Covid on duty over an unvaccinated employee with no Covid (whether from natural immunity or otherwise).

This makes no sense. The hospitals’ rush to force employees to get vaccinated, ignoring natural immunity and other legitimate concerns, has backfired for everyone. In the polarizing debate on Covid, natural immunity should be non-controversial.

Hospitals and other employers should recognize natural immunity as at least equivalent to vaccination and return to infectiousness as the best criteria for risk.

David Bunn, Salina