The Latvian Health and Social Care Workers' Union opposes the retention of the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination requirement for workers in certain sectors.
The government, while removing almost all restrictions, has retained the requirement for Covid-19 certification for workers in certain sectors, such as education, medical and prison staff. The union does not see the point of the certificates in the current situation, pointing to a number of circumstances.
From April 1, the requirement for Covid-19 vaccination certificates has been abolished and unvaccinated persons will be able to carry out their duties on site. At the same time, employers will retain the right to choose whether to restrict work duties in their company or institution to persons with a valid certificate of vaccination against Covid-19 or a certificate of recovery.
However, the requirement for a Covid-19 vaccination certificate will remain for certain groups of employees after April 1. Employees who have direct contact with clients in health care facilities and prisons will certainly continue to need a certificate. In educational establishments, staff who have direct contact with learners will also need a certificate of vaccination against Covid-19 or a certificate of recovery by the end of this school year.
The Latvian Health and Social Care Workers' Union objects to the retention of the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination requirement for workers in certain sectors and has informed the Ministry of Health. Why is the union against the mandatory requirement for a certificate? The Executive Board of the trade union refers to the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the ethical, legal and practical considerations of Covid-19 vaccination, which states that no one shall be politically, socially or otherwise influenced, coerced into vaccination if they do not wish to be vaccinated, or discriminated against because they have not been vaccinated or do not wish to be vaccinated.
The second reason is the reality of the incidence of Covid-19. Inga Rudzīte, the union representative, told Neatkarīgā that from January 2022, the prevalence of Covid-19 among unvaccinated people is not significantly different from that among people who have received the full primary vaccination. Citing data from the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the trade union explains that, compared to people who received the booster vaccine, unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people had a 1.6 times higher risk of infection. "Comparing the structure of hospitalized Covid-19 patients by severity and vaccination status, we can see that 47% were fully vaccinated and 53% were unvaccinated and partially vaccinated. Of the moderate patients, 46% were fully vaccinated, 54% were unvaccinated and partially vaccinated; of the severe patients, 48% were fully vaccinated, 52% were unvaccinated and partially vaccinated. About 0.7 percentage points of Covid-19 patients in Latvia have died since the start of the pandemic," said a statement from the healthcare workers' union.
Neatkarīgā, compiling data on Covid-19 mortality from the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, found that unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people have a 3.2 times higher risk of death from Covid-19 than fully vaccinated people per 100,000 population.
The medical profession also points out that scientific studies have shown that the risk of re-infection for healthcare workers is significantly and lastingly reduced after Covid-19 infection, as confirmed by the presence of relevant antibodies. "There are currently no reliable data available on whether and when there will be a significant increase in the incidence of Covid-19 in the future, what the clinical course of the disease will be and what the effectiveness of available vaccines against this type of virus will be," the trade union concludes at the same time. The organization believes that employers should offer employees the opportunity to be vaccinated against infectious diseases free of charge if the epidemiological situation warrants it. "The issue of requiring employees to have a vaccination certificate can be reviewed if new scientific data on the epidemiological situation and the safety and effectiveness of vaccination become available," says Inga Rudzīte.
INFORMATION
Will I need a Covid-19 certificate in the workplace?
From April 1, persons not vaccinated against Covid-19 will also be able to carry out their work duties on site
At the same time, employers will retain the right to choose, on the basis of a risk assessment, whether to limit the performance of work duties in an undertaking or establishment to persons with a valid certificate of vaccination against Covid-19 or a certificate of recovery
Employees who have direct contact with clients in medical institutions and prisons will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19
In educational establishments, staff who have direct contact with pupils will need to have been vaccinated against Covid-19 or a certificate of recovery by the end of this school year
Source: Covid19.gov.lv
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