A care worker who doesn't "have any injections" lost her job after refusing to get the Covid vaccine.
Holly Higgins said she was left lost for words after being dismissed from her job as a healthcare assistant.
It came following the government mandate that all care home workers in England had to be double jabbed by November 11, except those who were medically exempt.
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Holly, 28, was among the workers who refused to take the vaccine ahead of the deadline, the Manchester Evening News reports.
She claims she submitted proof for medical exemption to her employers at Appleton Manor in Bredbury, Stockport, which was allegedly denied.
Now unemployed, Holly said the ordeal has left her feeling worthless and she has no plans to return to care work.
The mother-of-one said: “I’ve had my heart ripped out.
“I’ve had to leave the residents I've looked after for three and a half years. I feel so worthless.
“I feel like we weren’t valued at all throughout the pandemic.
“And now to be last year’s heroes and this year’s unemployed – it's totally unfair.”
Holly, who lives in Bredbury with her young daughter, believes working through the pandemic led her to develop a number of health problems.
She believes she now has asthma and allergies, issues she never suffered from previously.
She said: “In March, I thought I caught Covid because I lost my sense of smell and taste which I’ve not regained 18 months on.
“I can’t smell gas or anything. I’m certain it’s from testing as it was perfectly fine before all that.
“I never had asthma before Covid happened, before I had to wear a mask.
“I don’t want to risk getting any more health conditions.”
Holly, who also suffers with anxiety, said she submitted proof of her medical issues to her employees.
However, she said being allowed exemption from the vaccine was denied.
Holly added: “I had a meeting in August as I was the one who wasn’t vaccinated.
“I suffer from anxiety so became distressed in the meeting and they didn’t care.
“They told me if I didn’t have the vaccine, I would be dismissed.
“I suffer from anxiety so became distressed in the meeting and they didn’t care.
“They said to try and get something off the GP to prove I had asthma and other health issues.
“I proved that and they said it wasn’t a good enough reason.”
Holly, who is currently unemployed, said she has no future plans to return to care work.
She intends to look for employment after the Christmas period.
Holly said: “I don’t have any words.
“I see it as it doesn’t really matter about vaccination status as you can still catch it and transmit it regardless. I’m going to try and tribunal it.
“All of this is causing stress and anxiety to my life. I haven’t signed anything in my contract to say I’d have a vaccine.
“I’ve refused the flu jab every time I’ve been there. I just don’t have any injections so I'm not going to make an exception for Covid.
“What's the point when you can still catch it.
“A vaccine doesn’t make you the person you are today. It’s whether you care or you don’t.
“Why it’s a level of requirement now – it’s bonkers.”
'Our homes need to be safe', says care company
A spokesperson for HC-One, who run Appleton Manor, said: “Our purpose is to be The Kind Care Company, supporting our residents to lead their best life with care from our experienced and passionate Colleagues.
"Our homes need to be safe and open to visiting so that residents and their families can come together as they wish.
“We can’t miss any opportunity to make this happen, which is why we announced in July that the Covid-19 vaccine would be a condition of employment for all HC-One employees across the nations.
"This was the responsible step for us to take to protect the people we care for, as well as our colleagues, as the evidence clearly shows that vaccination cuts transmission and substantially reduces the risk of hospitalisation.
"The introduction of the Government’s legislation in England on 11 November means that HC-One now also has a legal duty to ensure that all colleagues in our homes across England are either fully vaccinated or have a valid medical exemption in line with the Government’s guidance.
“Since the vaccination programme started, we have worked tirelessly to support colleagues to choose to be vaccinated, and are pleased with the high vaccination take up we have seen in all our homes.
"Since the mandate was announced, we have made every effort to explain the consequences to colleagues who choose not to be vaccinated, and who do not have a valid medical exemption.
"We have engaged at length, including on a one-to-one basis, with colleagues and their representatives to understand their individual reasons for not receiving the vaccine.
“We expect to lose a small proportion of colleagues who have chosen to remain unvaccinated without qualifying medical exemptions.
"We expect this number to be less than 500, from our colleague population of over 20,000. Our HR and Resourcing teams have been working hard with homes over recent months to anticipate any vacancies as a result of this requirement, so that we can ensure our homes continue to be adequately staffed, enabling us to provide continuity of care to residents.”
