Elicker: Vaccine Mandate Not Ready Yet

There is only one exit from this mess and it is through the door marked VAX.

As long as this ridiculous nonsense/mandate would allow my close friends that are excellent city workers to "opt out" and be tested then have at it.

Guess what, that's called respecting an American citizen's rights to their own body and their choice.

Lord Jesus, do we not understand by now a vaccine DOES NOT ELIMINATE a virus? Do we also not understand that the vaccine will NOT stop you from spreading it to others?

These FACTS should way heavy in allowing city workers to opt out. The "science" doesn't make mandates make any more sense than they did last year.

Also, keep an eye out for Supreme Court Cases in the future that could determine new case law on this government over reach smh.

Absolutely ridiculous.

Eh hem, Mayor Elicker, still waiting for you to create this CAHOOTS unit everyone was so up in arms about. I guess we don't mind the NHPD responding to "non criminal" calls for service for the mentally ill and/or emotionally disturbed?

Everyone was so fiery about that last summer, I guess it really didn't matter? Fashionable advocacy smh.

CoViD-19 is the leading cause of death for police officers. Stanford has instituted a mandate for its officers, but the police union is objecting. It time for the legislature to step in and make clear that the need for vaccinations overrides any contractual provisions and privacy concerns.

I support voluntary vax. I don't support mandatory anything. Sabin, who has so little real world experience, finds it easy to follow the emperor mentality and of course, Mayor Elicker, given an opportunity to claim authority and issue dictates, will soon require mandates for city employees. He's already doing his best to force us to all to wear masks, which I'm happily not doing.

DeBlasio is your hometown hero that you want to follow? He is arguably the worst mayor in NYC history - a rival of the legendary Dinkins.

The mayor and Sabin should spend time in the wards and among the people with low vax rates. Now that one vaccine has been permanently approved, go sell it. Don't mandate it. Get on it. Get that done.

I've known Justin for many years, and like and respect him. But it is rarely the case that government can be "absolutely sure we get it right" before acting. This is not one of them. And the city deals with employees' privacy interests all the time.

I think Gov. Lamont has provided a useful model. State employees working with particularly vulnerable people, such as those in long-term care facilities, have to be vaccinated There are exemptions for people with medical contraindications and sincerely held religious beliefs against vaccinations, who will be required to be tested regularly. Other state employees must be vaccinated or tested regularly.

And I doubt the city workers' unions will oppose a vaccinate or test approach. The state public sector unions have not been shy about protecting their members' interests and have acknowledged the state's authority to issue the mandate.

We must remember this is not about us, or our rights. This is about saving lives especially of children and the most vulnerable. When the polio vaccine was introduced years ago, everyone cheered and gladly lined up to receive it. It had already caused the loss of many children's lives and the crippling of thousands. We have a similar situation now, where children are now becoming the most vulnerable. The next variant will be even stronger and affect more and more kids. Let's do the right and noble thing by getting vaccinated for all the generations to come.

If workers can opt out, then it isn't a mandate. This is saying that the Mayor won't impose a mandate.

I dont understand. How does mandating teachers get vaccinated actually protect the children? If my child is in a room with 25 other children who do not have the vaccine, how does mandating the teacher get vaccinated help my child, unless the other students are also obligated to be vaccianted?

why not: More to the point, if the city pays for the testing and gives employees time off to get tested, the hesitant have no incentive to get vaccinated. Optional testing would push employees to get vaccinated if employees had to pay for the tests themselves and do it on their own time.

FYU, no one is speaking of making the vaccine mandatory in the way it was in Cambridge, Mass., during the smallpox outbreak. It is only being made a condition of employment. Don't want to be vaccinated? Quit.

If the governor's vaccine mandate covers 2/3 of New Haven city employees, why is Elickler tied up with indecision over 1/3 employees who currently stay at home on the taxpayers $dime? After all he has $90M in covid funds to distribute on pamdemic related issues affecting his citizens. There remains little to no obstacles to overcome.
All employees are not going to comply, but isn't that true all over the U S?
Stop vasellating and Just Do It Justin!
You only have 30 percent of children 12 to 17 years old who are vaccinated, which suggest more at home non learning, than person to person in school learning.

elmcitybornandraised: Off topic but just curious - do you also believe an American citizen's right to their own body also includes women's reproductive rights?

And it's really too bad that these vaccine mandates are becoming so commonplace nowadays. I remember the good ol days, back when everyone was TOUGHER and just dealt with things like polio, rubella, measles, etc!!! GoVeRnMeNt OvErReAcH!!!

(Americans can't have rights to their own body if they're dead - thank you to the science of vaccines for keeping us alive longer)

Please note: Not all emergency people have been vaccinated, meaning: police, fire department, and EMT's . Also AMR does not have a policy on Vaccination, and several of their EMT's are not vaccinated. Scary to think they can help you in an emergency and give you Covid in the process, thinking they are here to save your life, and then spread it!

NHIREADER; Per Albert Ko, children are less likely to transmit the virus than adults. Vaccinated adults are less likely to transmit the virus than unvaccinated adults. So, requiring teachers to be vaccinated reduces the risk to your child. Moreover, vaccinated people are far less likely to become ill from CoViD-19, so the chances of your child's education being impaired by a weeks-long absence of his teacher are reduced.

@susanb

I look at it a different way, lot of those emergency workers were forced to work during the toughest part of covid (when the ERs were full with pts). And now your telling them what to do, after they sacrificed themselves for very little pay, became sick with covid. And once again worked consistently when everyone else was home collecting a check. Just didn't seem fair to me to throw stones at them now when they are the true heroes thru all of this!

Aprillevine: Everyone else in healthcare is being mandated to be vaccinated, hospital staff (both those who worked in CoVid-19 wards and those who did little), all care home workers, etc. Cops, firefighters, EMS folks all need to get up close and personal with strangers, so should be vaccinated to protect themselves and others. My possible exception would be an antibody titer above 1.00, tested monthly.

elmcitybornandraised, mentally competent adults have a right to control their own bodies. But even from a libertarian perspective, they do not have the right to jeopardize the health of others. Asymptomatic COVID infections are common and people unwittingly infect others all the time. While the vaccines are not perfect, they greatly reduce the risks of such transmission. For employees who do not interact with the public and who can distance themselves from their colleagues, testing is a reasonable alternative to vaccination. But many city employees do not fall in this category.

1644, it's not just a contractual issue. I think that vaccination or testing requirements for unionized municipal employees falls squarely within "other conditions of employment" for purposes of CGS § 7-468. As a result, the city has to deal with the unions in these areas. For the most part, the unions have acted reasonably in this matter. (Full disclosure, I was in the small class of non-managerial state employees ineligible for unionization.)

Kevin: All the more reason for the legislature to act. If the legislature has through 7-468, created a threat to public health, the legislature should fix it. Frankly, though, in this state, public health (and virtually everything) is subordinated to the wishes of public employee unions.

I agree with Kevin McCarthy -
"I think Gov. Lamont has provided a useful model. State employees working with particularly vulnerable people, such as those in long-term care facilities, have to be vaccinated There are exemptions for people with medical contraindications and sincerely held religious beliefs against vaccinations, who will be required to be tested regularly. Other state employees must be vaccinated or tested regularly."

• As long as there is regular covid testing required for those who need to opt out for medical reasons or long held and long established religious beliefs against vaccines and as long as the worker isn't working with a vulnerable population such as elderly or people with comorbidities, vaccines should be mandated as a requirement for continued employment.
  CT is an "at will" employer
  https://www.cga.ct.gov/2001/rpt/2001-R-0246.htm
  and it is settled law that the US can require vaccines and quarantines for the good of the public health.
  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vaccine-mandates-are-lawful-effective-and-based-on-rock-solid-science/
  Vaccines help prevent most people from becoming seriously ill or dying from covid. Masks and social distancing and hand washing/sterilizing help prevent people from passing the virus around. Doing all of the above will help stop the transmission of the virus, and help stop the mutation of the virus, and bring the pandemic to an end. If we continue to spread the virus, we will create more mutations which most likely will create a virus variant that is immune to the vaccines, more deadly, or more infectious. If we don't get a significant percentage of the world population vaccinated and wearing masks and following hand hygiene measures, we will put humanity even more at risk than it is now. While that is probably good for the environment to have the number of humans on earth reduced to lower the human activity causes of global warming, it is not good for humanity.

1644, I have no problem excluding vaccinations from the mandatory subjects of collective bargaining. But the legislature is deeply reluctant to interfere with existing union contracts.

Why is a person's vaccination status a "personal" bit of information?

That is absolutely ridiculous!

The fact is that this is a public health issue, not a personal issue for each person.

If getting the vaccine is mandated, it is mandated.

I am tired of going to places to apply for jobs and asking if everyone is vaccinated and then being told this is personal!

It's not personal if you are a carrier and you breathe in my direction putting me at RISK!

Mandated vaccines are not NEW!

In fact, when we had to get polio and various other vaccines to enter public school, EVERYONE knew you were vaccinated to protect yourself and to not be a spreader.

Everyone knew you were vaccinated or you would not be able to get into pubic school.

Maybe it's "personal" for rich white people who live in mini castles throughout New Haven on the Gold Coast.
They can afford to surround themselves with acres of land, send their kids to private schools, or hire in home tutors. Good for them!

Getting vaccinated is for the public good, it is not a personal decision. It is a public policy decision meant to protect us. Hello? You know, like seat belts, not speeding, and any number of sound public health policies that we have in this country to protect the general population.

If we didn't have sound public health policies like countries that are further advanced than ours, and who have a nationwide system of healthcare from birth to death, we'd be screaming all over the place.

I am so happy that people who don't get vaccinated for any legitimate reason (like a health risk) like supporting trump, are now being treated like they have leprosy. And, I will continue to ask people if they are vaccinated because it could affect ME!

That's what this is all about isn't it?

The fact is that the people who have been vaccinated (52% in the U.S. now) cross all lines of age, race, sex and sexual orientation, Greens, Democrats, Republicans and Nazis.

OK I'll start with @1644
Don't disrespect the law enforcement community with the lie that leading death in officers is covid. It's suicide and gunshots. Get your facts straight.
Second of all 74 % of the state of Massachusetts that are diagnosed with covid were "vaxed"so you are mandating a vaccine still under EAU. Maybe some want to do some research on the Nuremberg Trials.
Good luck with reelection on this one Justin.
Let's see peer-to-peer studies on the pro and cons of this vaccine. I don't think you will find one

stu71; Maybe it's a fake news site, but the Officer Down Memorial Page has 113 officer deaths from CoViD-19 and only 39 from gunfire this year. Are the folks who run that site liars? What is your source to call them liars? They are adamant that CoViD-19 has been the greatest killer of officers in both 2020 and 2021.
https://www.odmp.org
https://www.odmp.org/search/year?year=2021
Feel free to peruse the photographs and names listed to see if they are real, or if hundreds of gunfire deaths have been omitted.

Stu71: To continue: 1. The Pfizer vaccine is no longer under an EUA. 2. Massachusetts has a high rate of vaccination (even higher than CT) so it stands to reason that many people who test positive would be vaccinated. I am not sure where you are getting your 74% from, but the fact that New England is not having the overwhelmed hospitals that areas with lower vaccinations have is proof that vaccination work. Also, as has been mentioned here before, in P'town, with a great deal of negative social distancing, less than 1K or 60K contracted CoViD-19, and only two healthy vaccinated persons were hospitalized. Vaccines are not perfect, but they greatly reduce risk. 4. The studies on vaccine efficacy are widely available. Like all good studies, they used a placebo control group. We, also, of course, have real world data on the efficacy of vaccines, such as their effectiveness against illness, and serious illness in particular, in P'town.

As for those officers killed by gunfire, I bet many were armed and wore ballistic vests, but died anyway. Doe that mean its pointless for officers to be armed or wear ballistic vests?

@Stu71 - the Pfizer vaccine is now fully FDA approved. Where is the link showing that 74 percent of all positives in MA were vaccinated people?

This will be next.

Jacobson v. Massachusetts, 197 U.S. 11 (1905), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court upheld the authority of states to enforce compulsory vaccination laws. The Court's decision articulated the view that individual liberty is not absolute and is subject to the police power of the state.

Because I am always in search of the truth, after reading some of the comments here I was prompted to do my own research regarding Law Enforcement Fatalities for 2020, and here is some actual data:

https://www.aamva.org/law-enforcement/

click on the LE Memorial Tab
scroll down here to 2020 LE Officers Fatalities Report, which is a PDF file

open it

I was actually quite surprised myself with the results presented in this report, which is in fact quite in depth and sobering to read and review.

I guess we can add the high number of COVID cases as another reason Noteworthy envies Florida.

In 2020, Covid was indeed the leading cause of death in police officers. In previous years, it was gunshots and car crashes.

Second, your strange, cherry-picked "fact" from Massachusetts was in one specific Barnstable County town that suffered an outbreak in a 14-day period. NOT the entire state of Massachusetts as you claim in your poorly-worded and grammatically-weird statement.

And there are plenty of peer reviewed studies on the vaccine. I love trusting science!

Big George, yes, from your citation:
"Covid-19 related fatalities were the single highest cause of officer line-of-duty deaths in 2020.
Of the 264 officers who have died in the line of duty, there were 145 confirmed Covid-19 cases. It must be noted however, as the pandemic rages on, NLEOMF has already identified a significant number of additional Covid-19-related fatalities. Once these cases are confirmed, NLEOMF projects that the total number of Covid-19 fatalities and the total number of line-of-duty deaths will grow significantly. Unfortunately, even with the preliminary Covid-19 fatalities, 2020 had the highest number of law enforcement line-of- duty deaths since 1974."