Gee, that's too bad

As of Tuesday morning, 61.47% of the population of Massachusetts is fully vaccinated. That puts us second nationwide to Vermont, which is at 65.54% fully vaxxed. The Top Five states are all in New England, and we'd have the Top Six, if Maryland wasn't a smidge ahead of New Hampshire. So New England - including good old "Live Free of Die" New Hampshire is pretty much all in, and I'm feeling pretty safe to get up and walk around the region.

There are, of course, lingering fears.

The longer things drag on across the country (and across the world), the more likely a vaccine-defying variant pops up that wipes out the progress we've made. And as non-vaxxers decide it's safe to travel to regions where there are more vaccinated people, they'll be dragging their germs in with their roller bags. 

Personally, I'd be fine if the vaccine-defying variants popped up only in the states where the majority of the population are defying reason, science, and common sense and NOT getting vaccinated. Truly, I have zero sympathy for anyone who has refused to get vaccinated who comes down with covid. Zero. 

In fact, I have less than zero sympathy, as I am actively despising their putting others at risk.

As long as they stayed the hell away from my area.

In terms of state rankings, Texas, with 41% fully vaccinated, places 34.

To be expected: lots of red, lots of rural. 

Anyway, one of those in the 59% of Texans who aren't vaccinated is a Houston medical worker who's defying reason, science, and common sense. And her employer. Make that ex-employer.

An ultrasound technologist who says she was fired by a Houston hospital because she wouldn't get vaccinated against the coronavirus told CNN on Wednesday, "I don't want to work for people like that. Don't take away my choice."

LaTricia Blank worked at Houston Methodist hospital for eight and a half years. She loved her job, her patients and the people she worked with, she said. (Source: CNN)

Well, LaTricia, free to be you and me is a wonderful thing, so it looks like you're getting your wish not to have "to work for people like that." 

But I'm going to argue that you really didn't love your patients and the people you worked with all that much if you were willing to put them at risk.

And let's hear it for Houston Methodist, which "on March 31 became the first major health care system in the country to mandate Covid-19 vaccinations."

Their mandate mostly worked. Houston Methodist is at near full compliance, and have had to suspend fewer than 200 employees. 

Of course, there are the aginners: 100 employees sued, but a judge turned them down. (The decision is being appealed.)

Blank said she is not against vaccines, but she said she feels uncomfortable with a vaccine that she thinks went through a rushed process.

Hmmm. I don't imagine that LaTricia Blank is any expert on the vaccine process, so she may not be fully aware that mRNA vaccines (like Moderna and Pfizer) have been in the works for a while now, and is not some overnight sensation. But maybe LaTricia has better information sources than I do. Tucker Carlson, perhaps?

Among the things fueling her skepticism is the fact that Houston Methodist offered incentives to employees to get vaccinated.

"I don't understand, if this is really supposed to be good for us, why are you having to offer us anything?" she said.

Good thinking, LaTrish.  

And now, as time has gone one, she's all caught up in the stories about side effects, even if those side effects are "extremely rare."

So LaTricia is out of a job.

"I'm relieved," she said, reflecting on her decision. "I don't want to work for people like that. Don't take away my choice. You're not going to turn away a patient and give them care if they don't have a vaccine. Don't take away my choice."

She says she applied for a religious exemption but was denied.

I guess Houston Methodist doesn't recognize the Church of Moi.

Blank is hoping to find work in her field, but not with a company that requires employees to be vaccinated.

I'm sure there are such organizations - small private practices, perhaps. I sure wouldn't want to have anything to do with a medical professional who refused to get vaccinated. In fact, I'd want to avoid them like, well, the plague.