A UK care worker, who worked in the field for over a dozen years, has decried Covid-19 mandates after her refusal to get the vaccine cost her her job. The story has grabbed national headlines.
Louise Akester, 36, worked at Alderson House in Hull for the last three years and in the healthcare field for 14 years, but has now lost her job due to her non-compliance with a mandate stating all care workers must be doubly-vaccinated after November 11, unless they can get a medical exemption. Opponents of vaccine mandates have argued this approach might lead to major staffing issues over the winter months, while supporters insist it would offer more protection to vulnerable care home residents.
In a video she reportedly took on Friday afternoon after her final shift, Akester tearfully explained that losing her job and walking away from the people she’s “cared for” was “the hardest thing” she’s ever had to do.
“I just can’t believe what the bloody government is doing to us, I just don’t get it, I don’t understand,” she said.
She went on to call the situation “unfair” as residents and their guests are not required to be vaccinated under the new rule. The woman claimed that residents at her facility are “crying their eyes out” over her departure. Akester noted she has been tested for Covid-19 regularly and worn proper protective gear at her job.
Thousands could potentially lose their jobs after November 11, and Akester, who has said she made minimum wage at her last job, said she has received plenty of messages of support and is “not alone.”
“It’s nice to know I’m not alone, that there’s other people in my shoes,” she said.
Akester insisted that she was not anti-vaccine, but was not ready to get jabbed just now. The care worker previously told Daily Mail she was refusing getting vaccinated out of concern over potential “long-term side effects.”
“This choice should be my basic human right. I do not deserve to be punished for saying ‘no,’” she said.
She did not rule out she might get a Covid-19 vaccine at some point in the future, however.
