Proof of Booster

I edited my post to add those caveats because I suddenly realised that not everyone will have the same experience as me. I can see that company capability/willingness to protect your data would be a genuine worry for some people but companies need to get serious about meeting those obligations if they are going to ask for people's information. Breaches should rightly carry significant consequences.

I'm lucky in that respect because I work for a large defence company who I can trust with keeping data safe. The systems are in place. I've also chaired the WHSE committee meetings a few times so know first hand how much consideration and debate go into making such decisions. Benefits are carefully weighed up against concerns such as privacy. Knowing there are vulnerable unvaccinated personnel means we can justify the cost of temperature readings at the turnstiles, execute mandatory mask wearing, justify sending people home to work even though we know they won't be quite as effective working remotely. An informed employer can be a safe employer. There are genuine benefits to be weighed up against the negative. Decisions are made with the best intentions. Never was the possibility of firing unvaccinated staff raised. That is not and should not be the intention.

I take your point about the gradual frittering away of privacy rights. We saw some of that under the guise of anti-terrorism laws. It is a concern. I suppose what makes this particular request seem trivial to me is that as part of my job I get subject to defence clearance checks where they want to know everything about me, where I've been, what my financial status is like, my internet history, who I associate with, my sexuality, everything. This is all collected confidentially of course and serves a specific important purpose. You can perhaps see why I view a vaccination status as fairly trivial.

By the way, I'm with you on deleting Facebook and not allowing Google and Alexa products in the house. Unfathomably, millions of people don't think like us though.

 

If you don’t trust your employer to hold your address, salary, spouses details and bank account details securely, then you shouldn’t trust them to hold your vaccination status.

 

Opinions are fine. However I strongly reject your statement... "Still, the vaccines aren't enough" part of your post since it is 100% evidenced that the numbers of people dying, ending up in ICU's or suffering serious symptoms is a fraction of what it would have been without widespread vaccination program.
An increasing proportion of hospital admissions referencing Covid are unvaccinated and it has recently been reported (something we knew anyway) that many cases referencing Covid are people who were admitted for other reasons and testing at the admission stage showed a postitive result. One of the main reasons for everyone to get vaccinated that stills seems to escape you is that the the more people who remain unvaccinated the far greater risk of a mutation, unlike, Omicron, evolving into something deadly and untreatable. A bit like the n factor in Nuclear Proliferation.
The worst part of your post though is your totally nonsensical reference to fascism.
Personal freedoms are important but, every day, people have vaccinations that they have neither approved or have any say in. I am referring to babies and infants whose parents have made that decision. So the precedent is set. Do you think it is OK for that to happen or should any vaccinations only take place when a person reaches the age of consent given that it would see the return of many childhood diseases, some potentially fatal that have been pretty much eliminated? Governments and health authorities with far more data and information at their finger tips than you or I have, are making a decision, like parents do, for the wellbeing of the population. Accusing them of leading us down the path of fascism are mere paranoia.
Personal freedom is one thing albeit important, but the needs of the many, particularly if it could come down to survival of our entire species is something far more so. With rights come responsibilies.

 

Your post reminded me of the SC1 clearance I once had as I had full access to DWP servers and various public records as part of my job. I recall I had to state current previous associations even down to an ex grlfriend who I had not seen for over 25 years! I profoundly disagree we are heading down the road to fascism BTW, in response to budmustang's post and found I agree 100% with everything in your previous post #19

 

I think it's more like a war. Ration cards, blackout blinds etc didn't last forever. There isn't some kind of world leader conspiracy to dominate the world, its a pandemic with a new virus and governments and scientists are grappling with how best to deal with it.

 

Thinking about this overnight, and I suspect that her employer might be in the process of renewing the "in-service" life insurance provided to staff members - this is a "perk" at many companies. Insurance companies would presumably charge a lower premium for staff that were boosted than for staff who weren't - and proof of the vaccine status might help to lower the premiums...

 

Your company sounds like a sensible, considerate, trustworthy one. Many are not. The selling of data to third parties by our own NHS is cause for alarm.

 

What I am saying by the vaccines not being enough, is that many people thought they would get their jab and 'go back to normal'/get their freedoms back. What we have seen is a move back to mask-wearing, mass testing which has caused more fear and more cases, and pitting vaccinated against unvaccinated. You also need a negative test/proof of vaccine to go to many venues or to travel.

Regarding childhood vaccinations, there is a world of difference between trusting established vaccines that have been tried and tested for generations, and the complete gamble of the mRNA. This is why calling people who are opposed to an mRNA, i.e. covid vaccine, 'antivaxxers' is dumb. People are allowed to be sceptical of mRNA but accepting of other established vaccinations, they aren't automatically antivax. But this goes against the narrative, and the narrowmindedness of the times we live in, where people have to continually be in opposition.

And on fascism, it isn't so far-fetched to claim we are heading down that road. You only need to look at Italy to see the dangers i.e. being forced to have an mRNA in order to access a restaurant, travel on a train etc. etc. Basic freedoms are being suppressed.

 

Re your first paragraph.... "many people?" made false assumptions in spite of all the warnings that mutations could occur. The problem is with this particular branch of science we can only be reactive and will ALWAYS be one step behind nature. The fact we have modern science and structures in place has prevented millions of deaths for which we should be grateful. If we were still in the Middle ages but with a World population the size that exists now I can't imagine what the outcome would be. Instead we get people moaning about human rights, fascism, and untested vaccines being enforced on people.
Three things.
1 All Life is a risk
2 The risks of death, or long term disabilities for an unvaccinated person contracting Covid, particularly vulnerable and or elderly is far greater statistically than the risk of the same happening from having the vaccine. It is untrue that they were not tested. It is true, the time frame was compressed due to the extreme urgency so long term impact is not fully understood. But how long do you wait to validate a drug? 1 year 2 years 5 years 110 years. Scientific advances do not just happen with the drugs but testing methodology and processes too.
3 Personal freedoms are not the same as human rights. You have the right to refuse to have a substance injected into your body but in doing so have to accept that for the good of society you may have to accept certain restrictions on personal freedom e.g. foreign travel where your decision could adversely impact others.

Incidentally, Italy is just one of many countries who are now limiting employment rights, access to social events, public transport etc. for those refusing Covid vaccination. France is even more Draconian. Most of Europe is heading down that path. You may not like it but if you are saying that Most of Europe's Governments are Fascist and hell bent on removing all their citizens rights then you need to think again.