The debate over COVID-19 vaccines and masks has been raging across the country and in San Luis Obispo County since 2020, and it recently erupted again at the county government center.
At an Oct. 17 SLO County Board of Supervisors meeting, about a dozen residents criticized Public Health Director Penny Borenstein and her September report. Order 21 requires health care workers to receive flu shots and newer COVID-19 vaccines.
The notice directs health care facilities and organizations in SLO County to adopt and implement such policies. Any health care worker who refuses to receive these vaccines must sign a written statement and wear a surgical mask or higher-level respirator while on duty during respiratory disease season. Unless rescinded, Borenstein’s order will apply every flu season from November 1 to April 30.
Atascadero resident Eric Greening asked supervisors to take action, claiming they could be held liable if health care workers are harmed as a result of the order.
“I’m not sure what role regulators can play versus forcing health care workers to take dangerous, experimental, spike protein-dispensing substances, but please do what you can to improve the situation,” he said.
Greening went on to cite the Nuremberg Codes, ethical principles that set boundaries for permissible medical experimentation on humans.This code comes from United States v.Carl Brandt Case – one of the Nuremberg trials that took place after World War II.
“While this directive sidesteps (vaccination) by wearing masks constantly, imagine wearing a mask for a 12-hour nursing shift that is physically, emotionally and mentally exhausting,” he said. “This election actually constitutes pressure and violated the Nuremberg Code.”
Currently, two strains—EG.5 and FL.1.51—are the most prevalent COVID-19 subvariants. County health officials recommend the new booster dose for everyone 6 months and older.
But many community members are not interested, according to one local resident.
Linda Quinlan told her supervisor that her team conducted a survey about the new assignment. She said she is the SLO County Chair for New California, a movement to develop a new state within the existing California, which “has been dominated by tyranny,” according to her website.
“When I heard that Penny Borenstein had issued another order, we started hearing rumors within the community about how people were feeling and feeling,” Quinlan said. “We decided to launch an investigation. Within 48 hours , we received over 600 responses. This morning, we received over 800 responses.”
She added that 241 survey participants supported the mandate, while 638 said they did not.
Borenstein himself later commented on the matter at a supervisory board meeting. She defended her decision, citing the county’s history. She said the health care system and the state’s school immunization laws have required vaccines for decades to fight diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and hepatitis B.
“These are rare diseases,” Borenstein said. “They are becoming rare because of the vaccine.”
Additionally, SLO County’s influenza regulations have been in place for 12 years. Similar to the new rule, it gives healthcare workers the option of getting vaccinated or wearing a mask.
Borenstein emphasized that COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death, more prevalent than the flu. She added that the vaccine is safe and effective.
“The health care order seems like a natural extension of the (flu order) given the impact that COVID-19 has had on our community,” she said. “What we’re dealing with here is the politicization around COVID-19 because it’s really related to the Flu enforcement is no different.”
Two conservative supervisors, however, heeded calls to revoke his authorization. District 1 Supervisor John Peschong decided to bring back a project by the end of the month to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine and mask health orders. District 5 Supervisor Debbie Arnold seconded the motion. She said she only learned about the mandate when some constituents complained to her and that it was not initially implemented by elected officials.
“I think it’s ironic… that this is a government mandate that one doctor can order other doctors and medical professionals to personally take medications that they may not agree with,” Arnold said. “I think we can all agree that medicine has never been It’s not an exact science. People often seek second opinions when they are sick.”
Supervisors Bruce Gibson, Dawn Ortiz-Legg and Jimmy Paulding voted 3-2 to deny Peschong’s motion. Δ