'This hasn't been an easy choice': Unvaccinated hospital worker explains her decision, braces for termination

Kitchener -

Krista Ruddy says she has enjoyed working as a medical lab assistant at Grand River Hospital for the past two years.

But a month ago, the 39-year-old New Hamburg woman was placed on unpaid leave because she has chosen not to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

“They gave me options that I was completely compliant with. I did my education training, I did my testing twice weekly that they asked me to,” said Ruddy. “I complied with everything they asked me to.”

In September, Waterloo Wellington hospitals issued a mandate, requiring all staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 12 or be placed on unpaid leave.

The new mandate was a joint initiative between Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Grand River Hospital, Groves Memorial Community Hospital, Guelph General Hospital, Homewood Health Centre, North Wellington Health Care Alliance and St. Mary’s General Hospital.

Those who were unvaccinated had until Nov. 9 to comply with the mandate, or face disciplinary measures, including termination.

Ruddy says she has a meeting scheduled with hospital management on November 18.

“We got sent a letter stating that our job is in review. Here’s your date. Here’s your time. And that’s basically all we know,” said Ruddy.

Ruddy said her decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine was a personal one.

“It’s still in trial. Like it’s in clinical trials. I’m too afraid to get something put into my body that I can’t get changed,” she explained.

The Pfizer vaccine is one of the approved vaccines by Health Canada. In a press release issued a year ago, the pharmaceutical company concluded phase three of its study. According the company’s research, two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has a 95 per cent efficacy rate in fighting the deadly virus.

The Moderna vaccine is another one approved by Health Canada. On Health Canada’s website it says clinical trials showed that 2 doses of the Moderna vaccine is 94.1 per cent effective in protecting those aged 18 and above against COVID-19. And 100 per cent effective for those 12 to 17 years-old.

Health Canada also tracks reported side effects and says that about 4 people out of every 10,000 people vaccinated have reported one or more adverse side effect in Canada. The current tally is 22,231 Canadians. Of that, 16,578 are considered non-serious. While 5,663 are considered serious. 539 people to-date have experienced a serious adverse event that include a severe allergic reaction.

Despite that, Ruddy remains steadfast in her views about the COVID-19 vaccine.

“This hasn’t been an easy choice for me at all. I’m terrified. But I’m also terrified of the reactions that you could get from this vaccine.”

The single mom of two says she loves her job very much, and is now preparing for the fact that she may not have it for much longer.

“This is serious for all the people that are off right now.”

“I have nothing against anyone who chose what they chose,” she said. “I chose to not get vaccinated and that was my choice. And I shouldn’t be scrutinized and I shouldn’t lose my livelihood and my job because of what I chose for myself and neither should anybody else.”

In a news release announcing the mandate on Sept. 1, the president and chief executive officer of Grand River Hospital said the move was meant to help keep the community safe.

“The COVID-19 vaccine is a vital measure of protection, particularly as more services continue to open up, and community spread continues to increase,” said Ron Gagnon. “As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to safeguard and protect the health and wellness of those we work with, and those we care for.”

The president of St. Mary’s General Hospital and the hospital lead for the COVID response echoed that in the same release, and said protecting the health and safety of patients and staff was the priority.

“Vaccines are an important tool in the COVID fight and in our response to the highly transmissible Delta variant—something that we have witnessed the impact of first-hand,” said Lee Fairclough. “It is our responsibility to implement every safety measure possible to protect our patients and teams.”