Syracuse, N.Y. — Jesse Infante worked his last shift Monday at Upstate University Hospital.
Infante, a nursing technician, was told to turn in his badge because he refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
“If I don’t want it, I shouldn’t have to get it,” Infante said. “This is astonishing. I never thought in my lifetime I’d see some sort of socialist thing like this.”
He is one of hundreds of Central New York health workers expected to be sidelined by a state Covid vaccine mandate that took effect Monday. The mandate requires health workers in hospitals and nursing homes to get the shot or lose their jobs. About 15% of hospital and 10% of nursing home workers in the region remain unvaccinated, according to the latest state data.
Infante, who has worked at Upstate seven years, is not convinced the vaccine is safe, even though the federal government says it is. “Just because the president says it’s safe doesn’t mean anything to me,” Infante said.
He also sees the mandate as a violation of his personal freedom.
Infante, 30, of North Syracuse, has a wife, two young children, a house and two cars. He said losing his job at Upstate will hurt his family financially.
“But my kids will see how their father stood up and said something,” Infante said. “I believe that’s the right thing.”
The FDA says rigorous testing has proven the vaccine is safe and effective. Public health experts say the vaccine is the key to stopping the pandemic and saving lives.
But unvaccinated workers interviewed for this story remain skeptical. They cited safety concerns, religious beliefs and freedom of choice as key reasons why they’ve rather get fired than roll up their sleeves for a vaccination.
Amanda Marzullo lost her nursing home job after refusing to get vaccinated.Provided photo
Amanda Marzullo, 33, a licensed practical nurse from Central Square, worked her last shift Wednesday at the Oneida Center nursing home in Utica. Marzullo was employed by a nursing agency and worked as a contract nurse at the nursing home.
The nursing agency told her she could no longer work at the nursing home or any other facilities unless she gets vaccinated.
“I am against the fact they are forcing people to do this,” Marzullo said. “You should be able to choose what you put in your body and what you don’t put in your body.”
Marzullo’s husband is disabled and cannot work. In addition to nursing, she works a second job in a restaurant to make ends meet. She said they have a mortgage, a car loan and her student debt from nursing school to pay. “We will have to cut back a lot,” she said.
Marzullo said she hopes she will eventually be able to return to nursing.
“It breaks my heart that I had to step aside to fight this battle,” she said.
Karen Downey and her daughter, Alyssa, are both registered nurses who refuse to get vaccinated.
Karen Downey works as an emergency room nurse at Oswego Hospital. For now, she has a religious exemption to the mandate that was allowed under a temporary federal court order issued Sept. 15. She could lose that exemption by Oct. 12 when the court decides whether to keep or drop religious exemption.
Downey, 52, of Palermo, has worked as a nurse for 31 years. Nursing is the only job she’s ever had.
“You can’t just go out and get an entry level job and make what you’ve been making after 30 years as an RN,” she said.
Alyssa Downey’s last day at Crouse Hospital was Thursday. She gave her notice early this month after the hospital informed employees they would lose their jobs if they did not get vaccinated.
Alyssa, 31, applied for travel nurse positions at other hospitals in the region that initially agreed to honor religious exemptions. She got a few job offers, but the hospitals subsequently changed their policies and stopped granting religious exemptions to travel nurses.
Both Karen and Alyssa Downey say the Covid vaccine contradicts their religious beliefs because the Covid vaccines are derived from fetal cells. “Being pro-life, getting vaccinated would go against that,” Alyssa said.
Experts, however, say vaccines do not contain aborted fetal cells. Cells grown in a laboratory based on aborted fetal cells collected generations ago were used in research and development of the Covid vaccines.
Karen Downey also said she is concerned about the potential long-term effects of the vaccine.
“I am concerned this will cause a bigger wave of illness than expected because of the way it alters the immune response,” Karen said.
Alyssa worked seven years at Crouse, most recently as an intensive care unit nurse.
“I love being in the ICU. That was my calling,” Alyssa said. “I feel inpatient nursing is not going to be in the cards for me. I feel scared about having to change professions.”
James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
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They’d rather lose their nursing jobs than get the Covid-19 vax: ‘I shouldn’t have to get it’ - syracuse.com
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