75 Florida Doctors Walk Out In Symbolic Protest As Unvaccinated COVID Cases Surge

CNN via @PoliticusSarah/Twitter

August 24, 2021, 8:05 am

Doctors staged a mass walkout from Florida hospitals on Monday in protest of the number of unvaccinated people flooding their ICUs after being infected with COVID.

The symbolic moment took place in Palm Beach Gardens just before the sun came up, and was meant to show the community and the world how frustrating the situation they are currently dealing with is. 

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“We are exhausted,” said Dr. Rupesh Dharia. “Our patience and resources are running low and we need your help.”

Florida is in a COVID crisis right now, with a record number of new cases and deaths even higher than the numbers reached in 2020. But still, Republican governor Ron DeSantis is holding firm against mask mandates in schools and other precautions that might stop the spread.

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And the impact of these decisions is apparent. Florida hospitals are at roughly 85% capacity and doctors say the majority of COVID cases resulting in hospitalization are among the unvaccinated.

“The vaccine still remains the most effective and reliable way to stop this madness,” said Dr. Leslie Diaz.

The decision among these doctors to stage a walkout has still sparked some controversy online, albeit mainly among those who don’t understand the walkout was symbolic and the doctors are, in fact, still treating people — including unvaccinated COVID patients.

I also would guess that there are a bunch of healthcare workers who are against this kind of extreme stance in a time of crisis.

Not to be that person but I really would love to hear both sides lol

— J (@Jani__Gee) August 23, 2021

The government makes it VERY accessible to get the vaccine. This isn’t a third world country where people in their twenties are just started to get vaccinated. There is literally no excuse.

— she wolf of wall street (@arthistoryisgay) August 24, 2021

People never listen to us. People everyday are non compliant with medication that could prevent them from landing in our icu. We wish u would take ur insulin/ or ur beta blocker or ur diuretic so u don’t have to come back. But they don’t. This is nothing new

— Alex ❥ (@alexxdlr) August 23, 2021

Do people on dialysis because they’re alcoholics, folks with type 2 diabetes because won’t stop eating poorly, or folks with lung cancer that smoked their whole life. I guess we can deny them too. These are all choices.

Whatever happened to the Hippocratic Oath?

— Josh Orton (@thejoshorton) August 24, 2021

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And be treated by their chosen internet healthcare gurus and leave the real docs and nurses to treat those who actually believe science

— Kathleen Burgler (@Katb6691) August 23, 2021

The doctors’ ultimate goal with their walkout was to encourage people to get vaccinated so that fewer people get sick and the hospitals aren’t so overwhelmed with COVID patients — something that is absolutely achievable right now if anti-vaxxers just pull it together.

“It’s incredibly frustrating because we know vaccines are safe and effective,” Dr. JT Snarski told MSNBC. “And it’s people who go out and talk against them that really go against physicians and medicine and science. And it’s not the message we want to get across to people. Vaccines are safe and we need to get our communities vaccinated.”

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*First Published: August 24, 2021, 8:05 am