Ideas To Deny Medical Care To The Unvaccinated Arise
With healthcare workers and the medical system under immense strain and Omicron pushing hospitals to the utmost limit, new discussions over denying unvaccinated care have arisen.
However, to deny medical care to those who choose not to vaccinate themselves is irresponsible and unethical.
Recent U.S. Hospitalization Stats See The Highest Peak
Statista has revealed a new record high in COVID hospitalizations in the U.S. “On January 8, 2022, a new peak was recorded. However, this time hospitalizations were more spread out in the age groups, with those under 65 years making up roughly 60 percent of total hospitalizations. “
“This statistic illustrates the weekly number of COVID-19 associated hospitalizations in the U.S. from the week ending March 7, 2020, to January 15, 2022, by age group. “
The result of this is long waits and lessened medical care for all patients who are being hospitalized for COVID-related medical issues and other medical emergencies. Additionally, delayed non-COVID medical care for those needing operations and other medical treatment left healthcare staff exhausted and frustrated.
The Solution is Not to Deny Unvaccinated Medical Care
Many believe that the unvaccinated population is to blame for the continued pressure on hospitalizations and spread of COVID in the U.S.
However, as some argue, this cannot be the foundation for denying this group medical care’. Even if healthcare workers are facing health risks when treating the unvaccinated. Even if the unvaccinated population harms others, the unvaccinated population perpetuates the pandemic.
The reason for this is that vaccinations are a personal choice. While some may argue that it is unethical to not vaccinate, others believe it is unethical to force this decision on those who feel the vaccination is unethical.
While health experts and authorities have proven the safety of the vaccination, others still stay strong in their personal decision to not vaccinate, with uncertainty still existing.
A Theoretical Debate With A Fearful Sentiment
As The Atlantic states, “This debate is theoretical: Healthcare workers do not deny care to unvaccinated patients, even though, ironically, many told me they’d been accused of doing so…. “
“Several ethicists, clinicians, and public health practitioners…. .many of them sympathized with the exasperation and fear behind the sentiment. But all of them said that it was an awful idea—unethical, impractical, and founded on a shallow understanding of why some people remain unvaccinated.”
Overall, to withhold unvaccinated medical care is contrary to the tenets of medical ethics. Many healthcare experts and staff believe using the medical care system to mete out justice is simply not right, nor is it a way to punish people for their personal social choices.
An Ethical Obligation From Both Sides
Medical staff and those in the medical field have always honored their ethical obligation to care for people. In these times, they also honor patients’ choices and advanced directors.
Should the unvaccinated continue to burden the healthcare system, vaccine mandates may become a permanent fixture in communities. However, withholding medical care could result in life or death if unvaccinated patients are denied care.
With this, it is also ethical for those unvaccinated to adhere to other health and safety measures and behave responsibly and ethically.
What About Others Who Take Personal Health Risks Into Their Own Hands?
For smokers who personally choose to affect their health negatively, should they be denied medical care? Should those choosing to drink and drive and cause an accident be denied medical care for their personal choice?
In this context, and considering medical care for the unvaccinated, treatment should be based on the urgency of the need and not the circumstances leading up to it.
If considered unethical to not vaccinate, what is to be considered of the smokers and drunk drivers who perform actions that endanger themselves and others?
As The Atlantic puts it, “It is a fundamental principle of modern medicine that “everyone has an equal claim to relief from suffering, no matter what they’ve done or haven’t done. When you try to make moral distinctions, you end up holding people’s circumstances beyond their control.”
Some Of The Unvaccinated Are Constrained By Circumstances, Not Personal Choice
With debates about unvaccinated care rising up more as Omicron spreads, those against the unvaccinated need to know that some of the unvaccinated persons remain unvaccinated due to other circumstances. Reasons for non-vaccinated individuals may include:
- Lack of availability or access to the vaccination
- Lack of internet and online bookings to confirm vaccination appointments
- Other health implications and preexisting vaccinations that could be negatively affected by the vaccination
- Lack of transportation to get to a vaccination site or pharmacy
- Residence in ‘red states’ which discourages vaccinations and sees vaccinations as a political choice.
- Not able to get off work or to get paid sick leave to get the vaccination
- Lack of health insurance
Those who remain unvaccinated due to the above factors are not die-hard anti-vaxxers.
While some of the unvaccinated population have trenchant anti-vaccine attitudes, and others may be skeptics, how many of the unvaccinated problems pertains to which group is not clear. Therefore, withholding unvaccinated medical care to all those unvaccinated should not be done.
Alternatives To Help The System And Healthcare Workers
Should the spread of COVID continue to worsen and with this further pressure the hospital crisis and push it into a crisis, there will have to be alternatives put into place. It is not feasible to allow the country to suffer and promote further exhaustion, demoralization, and anger to rise for healthcare staff.
An online briefing statement from The White House states that the pandemic of the unvaccinated is a collective crisis. Ethics and responsibility from all sides need to be deployed rather than downplayed.
Alternative solutions to the problem could include:
- Conserving resources forcing healthcare workers to make tough choices and medical judgments rather than moral ones.
- The tightening up of unvaccinated persons’ ethical standards and health and safety measures.
- Improved hospital and medical facility infrastructure and processes
- The resolution of concerns to encourage the unvaccinated who are not prevented by medical condition but by mental worries to get vaccinated
- Unvaccinated adhere more to health and safety measures as stated in The Centers For Diseases Prevention And Control.
As President Biden said in the briefing, “Blaming or neglecting unvaccinated people won’t save the healthcare system or end the pandemic. It will just be the latest manifestation of America’s instinct to punish individuals for societal failures.”