The following is not anything I’m doing. It’s written solely as a thought exercise.
I don’t think it’s illegal, any more than if I refused to see smokers, or gum chewers. I mean, it’s my practice. I’m the only one here.
Dr. Allan M. Block
It’s certainly unethical, though. Part of being a doctor is caring for those who need our help. I’m vaccinated, so hopefully I’m at lower risk of getting sick if exposed. But that’s not a guarantee.
The vaccine is 95% effective. But that still means 1 in 20 vaccinated people can still contract the disease. Of course, people who aren’t vaccinated have no protection at all, aside from their immune system.
If the decision to not vaccinate, or not wear a mask, only affected themselves, I wouldn’t have as much of an issue with it. Like bungee jumping, the consequences of something going wrong affect only the person who made the choice (not including costs to the health care system or loved ones, now caretakers).
But with an easily spread infectious disease, a better analogy is probably that of drunk drivers. Their actions affect not only themselves, but everyone else on (or near) the road: other drivers, their passengers, pedestrians. ...
In a neurology practice not all of my patients have great immune systems. Sure, there are healthy migraine patients, but I also see patients with multiple sclerosis (on drugs like Ocrevus), patients with myasthenia gravis (on steroids or Imuran), and other folks whose survival depends on keeping their immune systems working at a suboptimal level. Not to mention those with malignancies, leukemias, and lymphomas.
These people have no real defense against the virus, and many of them can’t even get the vaccine. They depend on precautions, herd immunity, and luck. So, to protect them, maybe I should keep the unvaccinated out. Granted, this isn’t a guarantee, either, and doesn’t protect them during more mundane activities, such as grocery shopping or filling up their car.
Besides, the unvaccinated have their own, unrelated, neurological issues. Migraines, seizures, neuropathy, and so they need to see me. My job is to help anyone who needs me. Isn’t that what being a doctor is all about?
It’s an interesting question. Like most things in medicine, there is no black or white, just different shades of gray.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz.