UCHealth Employees Protest Vaccine Mandate, Want the Right to Choose

Parents are not the only ones in Colorado protesting mask and vaccine mandates. On Monday, Aug. 9, medical personnel protested outside UCHealth over the vaccine requirement put in place for every UCHealth worker to be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30.

Now, there are several reasons across the United States why people have decided not to get vaccinated. A strong belief is that, because they have already had COVID, they have natural antibodies that will protect them from the virus and therefore protect those around them.

A lot of people are struggling with the trust, or lack thereof, aspect of the CDC's word. A poll from Kaiser Family Foundation found that, even back in 2020, the public's trust in Anthony Fauci and other involved parties was rapidly declining.

When CBS Denver reported on the protests from UCHealth employees on Monday, they quoted one protester who said, "Well, the numbers are controlled by the CDC so whatever you read is being controlled by the government and CDC".

Dr. Michelle Barron, Senior Medical Director of Infection and Prevention for UCHealth, has expressed empathy for those protesting the vaccine requirement. She has also taken the opportunity to not only hear the concerns, but also express openly about why the mandate makes sense to have in place.

9News also covered the protests and heard from nurses who works with UCHealth. They quoted Stephanie Thorpe, a registered nurse with UCHealth, who wants people to know that they don't believe in forced medicine.

It seems that the more people feel forced and threatened into getting the vaccine, the more they want to push back because they have ethical concerns about the methods of getting people vaccinated.

As a reminder, the Denver mayor, in conjunction with UCHealth, has required all personnel, especially medical, in Denver and Denver county be fully vaccinated by Sept. 30. Protests have been popping up around the state in school districts over mask mandates, and now over vaccine requirements.