Alabama doctor REFUSES to see patients who won't get the vaccine: 'Covid is a miserable way to die and I can't watch them die like that'
An Alabama doctor who says he's tired of watching people die from coronavirus and is now refusing to treat patients who haven't been vaccinated.
Dr. Jason Valentine, who has practiced medicine at the Diagnostic and Medical Clinic Infirmary Health in Mobile since 2008, posted a photo on Facebook this week where he points to a sign taped to a door informing patients of his new policy coming, set to begin October 1.
The statement, made in a Facebook post that has since been made private but grabbed by the Washington Post and AL.com, has drawn praise and outrage from some online.
'Dr. Valentine will no longer see patients that are not vaccinated against Covid-19,' the post reads.
'If they asked why, I told them covid is a miserable way to die and I can’t watch them die like that,' he writes.
Dr. Jason Valentine , who has practiced medicine at the Diagnostic and Medical Clinic Infirmary Health in Mobile since 2008, posted a photo on Facebook this week where he points to a sign taped to a door informing patients of his new policy coming, set to begin October 1
The statement, made in a Facebook post that has since been made private but grabbed by the Washington Post and AL.com , has drawn praise and outrage from some online
He adds that there are 'no conspiracy theories, no excuses' stopping people from being vaccinated and that three unvaccinated patients have asked him where they could get a vaccine since he posted the photo but added that he understands if patients wish to no longer see him.
'I cannot and will not force anyone to take the vaccine, but I also cannot continue to watch my patients suffer and die from an eminently preventable disease,' Valentine said
'I cannot and will not force anyone to take the vaccine, but I also cannot continue to watch my patients suffer and die from an eminently preventable disease,' he finished.
Celebrities like actress Mia Farrow and Big Bang Theory creator Bill Prady were among those who shared the story approvingly on Twitter.
However, Health Freedom Alabama, a conservative group with over 1,600 followers that claims to defend citizens against having their medical choices taken away, called Valentine's decision 'insanity' in a Facebook post of their own.
'This is not only a flagrant disregard for the law but is an ethical violation of his Hippocratic oath to do no harm. SHAME on Dr. Valentine! We need to shut his illegal behavior down - NOW!'
Health Freedom Alabama , a conservative group with over 1,600 followers that claims to defend citizens against having their medical choices taken away, called Valentine's decision 'insanity' in a Facebook post
They cited a law that prohibits a business from refusing goods or services base on immunization status.
According to the state's health department, 1,674,411 Alabamians have been fully vaccinated, with just over 2.1 million receiving at least one shot. The state's population is just over 4 million people.
As of Thursday, 649,741 people in the state have tested positive for the virus and while there has been a significant recent uptick due to the delta variant, cases have been down for the past few days.
According to the state's health department , 1,674,411 Alabamians have been fully vaccinated, with just over 2.1 million receiving at least one shot
In 2021, 4,736 people in the state have been confirmed dead from the virus and a total of 11,914 since the pandemic began in March 2020.
Alabama is about to hit a record number of COVID hospitalizations, according to AL.com, with a reported 2,723 people in state hospitals as of Tuesday afternoon. That’s just shy of the record of 3,084 virus patients set on January 11.
Alabama's Republican Governor Kay Ivey has said that 'it's time to start blaming' the unvaccinated' for the continued spread of the virus.
'It's the unvaccinated folks that are letting us down,' she added.
Much like in other states, benefits have been offered to those in Alabama willing to get vaccinated, including a car dealer who offered $100,000 in prizes; the University of South Alabama, Dr. Valentine's alma mater, has offered $25 in on campus cash and a premium parking prize; and several local businesses are offering cash for employees.
This comes as the effort to increase vaccinations in America continues, in addition to the encouragement for some to get a third shot of the vaccine.
U.S. health officials Wednesday announced plans to dispense booster shots to all Americans to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and signs that the vaccines’ effectiveness is slipping.
President Joe Biden has recently put various public employees under vaccine mandates.
In the past three weeks, Biden has put federal workers, military members and nurses to vaccinated or face new requirements.
Biden has also praised businesses who mandate vaccines for their own workers and encouraged others to follow, as well as highlighting local vaccine mandates as a condition for daily activities, like indoor dining.
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