Staff sue hospital in Texas for making jabs compulsory

A hospital in the US has been sued by over 100 staffers for making Covid-19 vaccination mandatory. The plaintiffs filed a suit against Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas on Friday, the latest group of workers to challenge mandatory inoculations at essential workplaces.

Attorney Jared Woodfill said he is representing 117 workers. The lawsuit states that for the first time in US history, an employer is forcing its employees to be vaccinated “with an experimental Covid-19 mRNA gene modification injection” or be fired.

The lawsuit cited that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued its first emergencyuse authorisation for Covid-19 in December 2020, but the vaccines are awaiting full FDA approval and licensing, which will likely take months for the agency to review additional data.

The complaint cited that forcing employees to get the vaccine violates the Nuremberg Code, a set of medical ethics regulations that bans forced medical experiments and mandates voluntary consent. “Methodist Hospital is forcing its employees to be human guinea pigs as a condition for continued employment,” the lawsuit argues.

Demonstrations against Bolsonaro intensify

Tens of thousands of people in Brazil staged another day of protest against President Jair Bolsonaro for his chaotic handling of the pandemic, which has claimed more than 461,000 lives in the country. In Rio de Janeiro, some 10,000 people wearing masks marched through the streets, with some chanting “Go away Bolsovirus”.

Brasilia saw its largest rally since the start of the pandemic as people marched on congress, where a senate commission is investigating Bolsonaro’s handling of the health crisis.