Many Americans refuse to get vaccinated, and some interpose reasons linked to their religious beliefs and medical conditions. However, refusal to get vaccinated can have serious repercussions.
After the United States, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine last month, many business owners and school administrators released vaccine mandates for their patrons, employees, and students. Just recently, President Joe Biden also imposed sweeping vaccine mandates to help curb the increase of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. The mandate covered all federal employees, and the Pentagon likewise released a similar mandate covering people in the military.
Employers are allowed to require their employees to be vaccinated. It is also possible for the employer to fire an unwilling employee to get vaccinated. This is in accordance with the statement of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Although some may request an exception because of their religious beliefs, a thorough process needs to be looked into before the excuse is granted. Hence, if there is no excuse other than religious and medical reasons, an employee can be fired because of refusing to get vaccinated.
Another consequence of refusing to get vaccinated despite an employer’s mandate, according to experts, is that employees may be ineligible to collect unemployment benefits. In case an employee is allowed to work despite non-vaccination, it is also possible that their insurance costs would increase.
Employees may also pay an amount to cover the risks that come with COVID-19. An example would be what Delta CEO Ed Bastian imposed last month. He said that the remaining 25 percent of Delta employees have to pay a $200 monthly fee to cover the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19. He pointed out in his memo, “The average hospital stay for COVID-19 has cost Delta $50,000 per person. This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company.”
Also Read: Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns Of Possible ‘Monster’ COVID-19 If The Pandemic Continues
With all these consequences, unvaccinated Americans should look into getting vaccinated as soon as possible if they do not want to get fired from their jobs, pay extra fees, or pay more for their insurance costs.
According to worldometer data, COVID-19 has so far infected 42,799,907 people in the United States and claimed 690,714 lives.
