Host Intro: Thousands of healthcare workers had to choose between getting vaccinated or losing their job as covid daily positive cases surge by more than 1000% in the state of New York. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo made this official announcement about the state’s mandate policy on August 16th, two weeks before he resigns. Kathy Hochul, the state’s new governor, was already briefed on the mandate.
Today, a rapid 93% of healthcare workers in the state of New York are now fully vaccinated against covid-19 while 7% remains unvaccinated. Tiselle Bascom spoke with Denecia Mercado and Olivia Greenidge about their different perspectives on the mandate, and their experience working during the pandemic. Denecia is a registered nurse at Long Island Jewish Forest hills hospital in Queens and Olivia worked as a registered nurse at King’s County hospital in Brooklyn.
AMBI: (heart machine beeps as she checks patient heart rate)
Track: Denica mercado, a registered nurse at Long Island Jewish in Queens, did not expect the pandemic to plague hospitals for the last nineteen months.
(Act Denecia): My name is Denecia and I work and long island Jewish Forest hill hospital as a registered nurse. Nineteen months ago, working in the hospital was very stressful, many of our patients came in with covid and were forced to go through it without their families and loved ones.
(Track)-A passion to care for others and science was the main reason she chose to pursue nursing. It wasn’t her expectation to deal with something as tragic as covid, but she was devoted to her new job with the support of coworkers.
Act (Denecia)-Growing up as a child I always had a love for science and the human body. This combine with the desire to help others led me to nursing. When I first heard about covid I was scared because we didn’t know what it was. It was something new, nobody knew how to handle it. Am we dealt with those fears by confining in our coworkers and giving each other’s tips and just being there for each other.
Track: While she cares a lot for her patients, she is worried about her colleagues who were laid off because of the mandate.
Act (Denecia): I don’t think that my co-workers who were laid off due to the mandate or targeted. I think that the government was just trying to find a way to get rid of this pandemic.
Track: She says that it will be very difficult for her co-workers to find jobs and is much worried for them.
Act (Denecia): I am worried for them because they aren’t many places that will hire them if they are not vaccinated.
Track: She recognizes the long-term effect that goes against the mandate and chose what was best for her.
Act (Denecia): I didn’t feel pressure to take the vaccine because I knew that if I didn’t take it, I would lose my job and that’s not something I want to give up at this time.
AMBI: (Heart machine beeps and announcement)
Track: Denica is not hesitant about the booster shot and will definitely take it when her time comes.
Act (Denecia): At moment I don’t think I will take the booster shot because I recently got the vaccine. However, it’s a possibility I’ll take it in the future.
Track: Olivia Greenridge a former registered nurse at king’s county hospital chose to remain unvaccinated because of uncertainty about the newly developed vaccine.
Act (Olivia): My name is Olivia, I worked at Health and Hospital King’s County for over 20 years as a registered nurse. I refuse to take the vaccine because the vaccine is a new vaccine, and no one truly knows the long-term effects that it would have on our bodies. We are all learning as we go so that was one of the main reason, I decided not to take the vaccine, because I did not want to put anything in my body that could potentially harm me.
Track: Olivia vows to remain unvaccinated and is already on the hunt for another job.
Act (Olivia): Because I refuse to take the vaccine am I had to leave my job. At the moment, I am home, and I registered with a few nursing agencies, and I am pursuing working as a travel nurse where I can work at institutions that does not require one to have am the vaccine or one that does not have the vaccine mandate.
Track: she is very adamant about the vaccine mandate and rest assure that everyone should be able to choose what goes into their bodies.
Act (Olivia): I truly believe that Amm taking the vaccine should be a choice. I think that people should have the option of taking the vaccine if they want too and if they do not want to take the vaccine and then they you know can have regular testing ah continue to wear mask and practice physical distancing cause I do not agree with forcing people to put something into their bodies when no one knows the long-term effects it can have on their bodies.
Track: Denica and Olivia both wants the pandemic to be over so that they can go back to their normal life, for Baruch college I’m Tiselle Bascom.