Arizona doctor refuses unvaccinated patients
Chandler physician will vaccinate new patients, but won't treat those without shots - Brittni Thomason reports
CHANDLER, Ariz. (CBS News/KPHO) - A Chandler Arizona doctor has a new policy that some people are calling controversial. If someone wants to become a new patient but is unvaccinated, Dr. Andrew Carroll offers to vaccinate them. If they decline, he wants them to find another physician.
Dr. Carroll believes in the vaccine, and he says in order to be a good fit for a new patient, they need to be on the same page about that.
"It's just peace of mind that the place doesn't have COVID floating around pretty much." said patient Kwamena Degraft-Johnson.
Patients like Degraft-Johnson feel safer under Dr. Carroll's new policy.
"We've had a few patients who were not interested in joining us with that stipulation." said Dr. Carroll.
If a new patient walks in without the shot, the doctor offers to vaccinate them. While some people on Twitter call his policy unethical, Dr. Carroll says it's a private practice,. so he can choose who to accept as a new patient. He believes he's being more than ethical, because he's being upfront.
"It's really about aligning practice philosophies. we want people who align with how we practice and how we want to treat people and be patients here, and if you have somebody who doesn't believe or want to have a COVID vaccination, why would you want to be at a practice where the physician is going to be very pushy on you every visit?" said the doctor.
This as Pfizer just announced its lower-dose vaccine works for kids as young as five. Dr. Carroll says he looks forward to getting that shot to his youngest patients, if the FDA authorizes it.
"That's going to be very, very important that they look at the data and examine it and make sure it's going to be safe, efficacious, with no long-term side effects in children," he said.
"The sooner we all get vaccinated, the sooner we will be rid of COVID," said Degraft-Johnson.
Health experts say the Pfizer vaccine could be available by next month.
