By ZHEN HUANG
Los Alamos

Presumably, LANL Management launched the mandatory vaccination policy for a better health LANL workforce via increasing “vaccination rate”.

As we can see, LANL Director Mason felt it an “encouraging” accomplishment, because the policy has forced about 1,000 LANLers to get vaccinated.

Unfortunately, such goodwill could not, would not lead to positive outcomes, simply because the LANL Management has overlooked a basic scientific issue, that is, “vaccination rate” does not equal to “vaccination efficacy”.

Director Mason also recognized that it was “difficult” for those 1,000 LANLers to make the decision to get vaccinated. But what makes it “difficult”? What are the difficulties that the unvaccinated, in fact also the vaccinated employees, the mandate policy targeted, are forced to overcome? 

As we know, the LANL mandate policy allows two exemptions, physical one for “valid medical concern”, psychological one for “sincere religious reason”. However, as we can see, Director Mason decided to take different administrative measures to the two exemptions: physical one, LANL may help; psychological one, you are on your own. What is the basis for making such “discrimination”?

While the pandemic is “unpredictable” as Director Mason stated in his letter to LANL all, the outcome of what we do to the pandemic is predictable. With regard to LANL mandatory vaccination policy, in a Letter to LA Daily Editor, Joyce Barker has identified some important issues, raised very helpful questions, as well as implied solutions. I just want to offer my two cents to help Director Mason to scientifically rethink your decision for a better health LANL workforce, via taking into consideration the “Psychological and Behavioral Predictors of Vaccine Efficacy” (link).

One of the key scientific questions for Director Mason to think about is:

How could a workforce with so many employees who suffer from stress, depression, and other adverse psychological impacts that the mandatory vaccination policy put extra weights on, could be a better health workforce? 

While Director Mason sees the “1,000” as an “encouraging” accomplishment, I see it as a “warning” sign. 

Furthermore, from what I experienced and witnessed, what LANL Management needs to understand is that LANL employees are not just simple Z-numbers, that could be algebraically added up to some encouraging numbers or subtracted from wherever at your wish in your power (terminated employment in the mandatory vaccination case).

They are individual human beings, dedicated hardworking employees, who deserve your appreciation for their contributions to LANL’s mission, in particular, in this difficult time of pandemic, your equally “valid and sincere” considerations for their individual medical concerns and religious/psychological reasons, no matter they are vaccinated or unvaccinated.