‘What is the big push?’: Group protests some employers mandating COVID-19 vaccinations – The Arizona Republic

Several dozen people gathered at the Arizona Capitol on Wednesday to protest some employers mandating COVID-19 vaccinations and to express fear that the government will follow suit, despite state leaders saying repeatedly they would not.

There were signs that read "Freedom over fear" and"My body, my choice," along with several American and "Don't tread on me" flags.A woman leading a prayer at the complex just after 11:30 a.m. referenced Luke 10:19 as she said the Capitol was "filled with scorpions and serpents."

"We put all of their legalities and evildoings under the blood of Jesus, under the knowledge of the cross," she said. "We proclaim victory in Jesus' mighty name."

Gov. Doug Ducey on Tuesday said that Arizona does not and will not allow schools to require vaccinations or discriminate against students based on vaccination status.

Ducey's statement came in response to updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which now recommends wearing masks indoors in high-transmission areas regardless of vaccination status.

Banner Health, Arizona's largest private employer and largest health care system, as well as HonorHealth announced last week that their employees would be required to get the vaccine.

Retired nurse Diane Saylors, 67, expressed her concern that those decisions would prompt smaller health care organizations to follow suit.

Saylors said she anticipates a slew of wrongful termination cases if companies fire employees who refuse the vaccine.

"It is an experimental thing, it has not been FDA-approved and they want to force this on people," she said.

The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines in use in Arizona have been thoroughly studied, reviewed and approved for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Pfizer and Moderna have both applied for full approval, though that process could take several months.

But without the longer-term studies associated with full FDA approval, Saylors compared taking a vaccine and risking potential side effects to a game of Russian Roulette.

"I'm not going to put my life on the line for a vaccine," she said, adding that she doesn't fear getting COVID-19 because of the high chances of surviving the virus.

"They admit it doesn't stop you from getting COVID, it doesn't stop you from passing it on, all it is supposed to do is mitigate symptoms," she said. "So what is the big push? If you can still get it and you can still pass it on, the vaccinated and unvaccinated are equal."

Health officials have saidvaccine misinformation is hampering the country's efforts to move on from the pandemic and some, including President Joe Biden, have called for online platforms to do more to combat the problem.

The Arizona Republic reported earlier this monththat around 92% of COVID-19 cases reported in June were among people not fully vaccinated, compared to 95% in May. Around 99% of deaths in Arizona caused by COVID-19 in 2021 have been among people not fully vaccinated, according to the data.

Dr. Cara Christ, the Arizona Department of Health Services director, said at the time thatbreakthrough cases are "still relatively rare" and that the vaccines "absolutely work."

Troy Jenkins, 35, was at the demonstration with a gun acrosshis chest. He wore a shirt disparaging President Joe Bidenand said the 2020 election was "stolen," though lawsuits claiming widespread fraud have been dismissed and Maricopa County audits showed votes were counted accurately.

Jenkins feared that Arizona lawARS 37-788, which outlines the measures authorities can take to isolate and quarantine individuals during a state of emergency or state of war, would be used to mandate vaccines for Arizonans. The law does not reference vaccinations or requiring medications, and has not been invoked so far in the pandemic.

"Even God gave us free will to choose to either serve God or not," he said. "So if God, the creator of everything, said thatHe's going to give us free will to even choose to serve Him or not, who are these normal human beings to say 'I am mandating to vaccinate' or put something in my body?"

Jenkins said he believes the COVID-19 vaccines are bringing more harm than good, adding that "God gave us a natural vaccine it's called the immune system."

Jenkins' wife, 35-year-old Jasmine Jenkins, said everyone should be free to make their medical decisions for themselves.

"If you trust the vaccination, why does it matter that I'm not vaccinated?" she said. "If you trust the vaccination and you believe that it works, it shouldn't matter if I'm vaccinated or not."

Experts have said that herd immunitylikely isn't attainable in the United States because of the widespread vaccine hesitancy and that that will leave people who can't get vaccinated or those with weakened immune systems vulnerable to catching and spreading the virus.

Both Troy and Jasmine Jenkins said their feelings would not change even once the FDA fully approves the vaccines, adding that people should still have the choice to take it or not.

"Arizonans care about freedom, period," Troy Jenkins said.

And if more places of employment are permitted to require vaccinations among their workforce, both said that will have implications for Arizona politicians.

"I know that the legislators feel like we, the people, are just something that they can step and stomp on and they don't have to listen to us, but we are going to make sure that they hear us," he said. "We are not going to listen to any of your so-called mandates, we will refuse all of it, and we the people run this country, not legislators. We hired you, you didn't hire us. We don't work for you, you work for us."

Both Troy and Jasmine Jenkins said their presence at the Capitol on Wednesday was not only about themselves but for future generations as well.

"This is for the kids, this is for their future," he said. "Do you want a future where there is no option?"

Arizona Republic reporters Stephanie Innes and Alison Steinbach contributed to this report.

Reach breaking news reporter BrieAnna J. Frank at bfrank@arizonarepublic.comor on Twitter at @brieannafrank.

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'What is the big push?': Group protests some employers mandating COVID-19 vaccinations - The Arizona Republic