Vaccine Mandate For California's Healthcare Workers Criticized Outside Hospital Opening In Loma Linda
LOMA LINDA (CBSLA) — Protesters turned up outside the new Loma Linda University Medical Center to decry California's new mandate that all healthcare workers be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Dozens of people were on hand this weekend at the opening of the new Loma Linda University Medical Center, not to celebrate the hospital's expansion, the new San Manuel Maternity Pavilion, or the expanded Children's Hospital – but to express their outrage at the new mandate, which requires all healthcare workers to be vaccinated by Sept. 30.
Protesters like Gregory Cheadle said vaccination shouldn't be a condition of employment.
"The government has taken too much power. Now it's telling us what we must put into our bodies," he said. "They have not shown us all the ingredients of the vaccine, they have not shown us any of the adverse effects."
Three vaccines have been approved by the CDC under an emergency use authorization. The CDC has published a list of the ingredients of the vaccine, along with overview and safety documents that include any adverse effects for the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots.
In a statement, Loma Linda University Health emphasized that the new mandate is from the state.
"While we encouraged all of our employees to get vaccinated, it was not mandatory until required by the California Department of Public Health. Loma Linda University Medical Center and Loma Linda University Children's Hospital are state-licensed institutions, and as such, must comply with all newly published workforce vaccine standards as mandated," the hospital's statement said in part.