Protesters in downtown Raleigh decry vaccines for healthcare workers, masks in schools

Healthcare workers rallied against mandatory vaccines in downtown Raleigh on Wednesday, insisting they will be unjustly fired for following their consciences.

Protesters gathered at the state legislature and also circled the Governor’s Mansion, carrying signs that read “My body, my choice” and “Forced vax=medical rape.”

The event drew roughly 200 people, many of them in medical scrubs. But many in the crowd also came in opposition to masks in schools, which Wake County mandated Tuesday night.

“We spend so much time advocating for our patients, and now that I’m the patient, I can’t advocate for myself,” said Hannah Lewis, a nurse in Chapel Hill.

She declined to name her employer but said both Duke and UNC have said unvaccinated staff will be let go on Sept. 21.

UNC and Duke requirements

Alan Wolf, spokesman for UNC Healthcare, confirmed that vaccines will be required for all staff as of Sept. 21. Employees can request medical or religious exemptions.

“We understand there are some who have consciously decided against vaccination at this time and may be disappointed, but we believe the health and safety of our teammates, patients and communities is paramount,” UNC officials said in a statement.

Duke Health issued a similar requirement to staff, mandating vaccines with limited exceptions but warning of progressive administrative actions that lead to terminations. The notice to staff said 75% of employees have already gotten the vaccine.

“We are committed to keeping our patients, team members and the community safe and healthy,” wrote William J. Fulkerson, executive vice president for the Duke University Health System. “Similar to our existing influenza vaccination policy, the COVID vaccine requirement aligns with our core value of caring for our patients, their loved ones and each other.”

Gov. Roy Cooper weighed in on the rally at his Wednesday briefing.

“That’s so disappointing,” he said. “If you are a healthcare provider working closely with patients and around patients who are often sick, it’s your responsibility to get a vaccine. ... I appreciate their ... First Amendment right to protest, but I think that these healthcare facilities have made the right call in requiring employees to get vaccinated.

“And I hope that they will work to get the information and to be convinced that this is the right thing to do not only for themselves and their families but to the patients that they’re supposed to treat and protect.”

A handful at Wednesday’s event wore masks. Cars honked in support as they passed.

Speakers at the event’s microphone read from the Bible and claimed that vaccines were unnecessary for Christians. But their comments ranged far from the vaccine discussion.

One man in a sombrero, who called himself a former heroin addict and CVS employee, railed against big pharmaceutical companies and detoured into discussing what he called the Federal Reserve’s origins on a Satanic altar on Jekyll Island.

He touted his podcast, “Go Within to Get Out,” which identified the sombrero-wearing man as Andrew Girard, and in which he said, “Let’s create our own hospitals.”

COVID cases up statewide

The protesters objections come as COVID-19 cases are spiking statewide, fueled by the Delta variant. Last week, the state logged more than 3,000 new cases two days in a row. Health officials have stressed that the majority of hospitalizations and deaths are hitting the unvaccinated.

Lewis claimed that more of her patients objected to a vaccinated nurse than demanded one.

“I just don’t believe in the mandate,” she said. “The evidence just doesn’t suggest this is the treatment.”

As the event wound down, a lone protester remained on the Jones Street sidewalk, shouting, “Nuremberg Code! 1947!” The Nuremberg Code refers to guidelines on medical experiments that followed Nazi atrocities on prisoners of war.

This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 11:40 AM.