Madison County board member Mike Babcock (R) reassured Madison County employees that the Health Department Committee would not support a COVID-19 vaccination mandate.
“As the chairman of the Health Committee, I wanted to go on record and say that I would never support such a mandate that would impose any state or federal initiatives that attempt to impose such a mandate,” Babcock said.
He explained that he wanted to address the issue after several Madison County employees have approached him about whether or not COVID-19 vaccines will be mandated.
“As a public body, I just want to let our workers here in Madison County government know we support them. We respect their conscientious decision to take the COVID vaccine or not to take the COVID vaccine. If they choose not to take the vaccine, we as a body should be ready to step in and absolutely ensure that no one in this county loses their job for not taking the vaccine,” Babcock said.
Babcock referenced the Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which states, “It is the public policy of the State of Illinois to respect and protect the right of conscience of all persons who refuse to obtain, receive or accept, or who are engaged in, the delivery of, arrangement for, or payment of health care services and medical care whether acting individually, corporately, or in association with other persons; and to prohibit all forms of discrimination, disqualification, coercion, disability or imposition of liability upon such persons or entities by reason of their refusing to act contrary to their conscience or conscientious convictions in providing, paying for, or refusing to obtain, receive, accept, deliver, pay for, or arrange for the payment of health care services and medical care."
Additionally, Board member Doc Holliday (D) noted that Illinois has a mask mandate when indoors and requested the board put signs on the doorways within county buildings reminding people of their right to wear masks.
“It looks like we are just being in defiance of the whole idea of wearing masks,” Holliday said.
Chairman Kurt Prenzler said people may wear masks if they choose.
“You are choosing to do that, and I respect that,” he said.
“We as a County Board of Health should be looking after the health of all the citizens of Madison County,” Holliday said.
“I believe we are,” Prenzler responded.
Holliday said people need to understand that wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. He added that masks can save lives.
Prenzler replied that “the most important thing they’ve done as the Board of Health is to publicly announce that there is a successful treatment available.”
He said the monoclonal antibody infusion treatment has been saving lives.
According to the government website Combat Covid, early evidence suggests that the treatment “can reduce the amount of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID-19) in a person’s system. This amount is known as viral load. Having a lower viral load means you may have milder symptoms thereby decreasing the likelihood of you needing to stay in the hospital."
The website states that the treatment may help those who have tested positive for COVID-19, have had symptoms for 10 days or less and are at high risk of more serious symptoms. Healthcare providers are tasked with determining if patients qualify for the treatment and must provide a referral.
Monoclonal antibodies are made in a lab and are built to fight a certain infection. The antibodies are infused directly into patients.
The treatment is different from the COVID-19 vaccine.
“A vaccine triggers your body’s natural immune response, but can take weeks to develop enough antibodies and prevent some kinds of infection,” Combat Covid states. “Some vaccines for COVID-19 require two shots, so your body can develop its own immune response to the disease. But if you already have the virus, mAb treatment gives your body the antibodies it needs to protect itself.”