On this Health Matters, we sit down to talk about something that’s not such a big deal for the rational person yet a politically hot topic: Vaccine Mandates. PA Lynn Szabo sits with Paul & Mike to talk about what they actually mean, how they’re being done here, and to just… get vaccinated. If you want to do all the things you want to do, you gotta get vaccinated.

What’s a vaccine mandate? Although it’s a requirement that says you must be vaccinated to do certain things, an individual cannot be forced to receive a vaccine. (Think of it as “Vaccination Mandatory to attain entry.”) Of course, this means there are still consequences as you can be prevented from doing something you may want to do, which is well within the rights of those putting up restrictions. Vaccine mandates have been a common part of our lives long, long before COVID-19, such as school vaccination requirements or travel vaccination requirements.

The Federal Mandate for COVID-19 Vaccinations… The current federal mandate declares that all employers with more than 100 employees must be either COVID Vaccinated or the employee must get weekly COVID-19 testing. This is enforced on the federal level by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

States and cities can require vaccine mandates, which is legally supported by a rather strong Supreme Court decision in 1905—a 7-2 decision based on the idea that an individual’s right to liberty cannot deprive others of their right to liberty. What this boils down to is everyone has some restraints that exist for the common good.

Exemptions exist to maintain compliance with the ADA. Religious exemptions follow complicated rules, including:

• Beliefs must be sincere
• People must be informed that they have this option
• Religious exemptions are judged on an individual basis
• Health exemptions need verification from a health care provider and cannot legally include details. 

What’s a law abiding Del Norter to do?

• Get vaccinated -or- submit to weekly testing.
• Have your documentation in order if you believe you qualify for an exemption.
• Remember that yelling, drama, and anger isn’t a solution.

Health Matters is live every Tuesday at 11am on KFUG Community Radio 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!

On this week’s Health Matters, KFUG Community Radio’s show about all things health with local PA Lynn Szabo, we sit down to talk about the thing you’ve already heard about: COVID-19’s Omicron variant.

Very little medical information is present as this remains an unfolding story. The first cases reported came from South Africa, November 24th, 2021 (with those particular cases initially being reported November 9th, 2021.) The Omicron variant itself has approximately 50 of its own mutations at the time of reporting, 30 of which are on the spike protein.

In short: we don’t a know whole lot just yet. The effectiveness of current vaccines against Omicron is yet to be determined, but the response from scientist has been a matter of weeks instead of months like previously, with Moderna and Pfizer looking at the vaccine response to this variant.

All this being said—what’s a concerned Del Norter to do? It’s back to the basics, or continuing for those who have listened:

• Get your third dose. (Talk to your provider or pharmacist about what’s available)
• Wear your mask, correctly. (The nose is part of the respiratory system too.)
• Isolate and distance. (While you don’t need to confine yourself to a dungeon, don’t start rushing into groups of strangers.)
• Wash your hands. (Come on. Don’t be gross.)
• Don’t touch your face. (Might be tempting but if you skipped that last step, you’re really gonna want to listen.)

For the full talk with PA Lynn Szabo, you can listen to the full episode of Health Matters below!

Health Matters is on live every Tuesday at 11am on KFUG Community Radio 101.1 FM and streaming online at kfugradio.org!