A doctor in Florida is making headlines after announcing she will no longer serve patients who are not vaccinated amid climbing COVID-19 cases in the state.
NBC Miami reports Dr. Linda Marraccini, a family practice physician based out of South Miami, sent a letter to her patients saying she is refusing to treat any unvaccinated patients in person. Marraccini says she will still treat unvaccinated patients through virtual meetings, and is open to making exceptions for people who cannot get the vaccine for health reasons.
“I understand that people are free to choose, but to me, it’s a problem when it affects other people,” Marraccini told NBC. “When it comes to the safety of others, when it comes to the fact that it’s a global health problem and community health problem, at this point, I really say that this is where it draws the line in the sand for me.”
Marraccini says she decided to implement the policy in an effort to prevent immunocompromised patients from being exposed to the coronavirus.
“There’s been millions of deaths globally so that’s not something to ignore. People are getting to where everybody knows somebody that died from COVID,” Marraccini said. “This is a problem that really everyone needs to help out with and it’s affecting our collective communal health.”
The physician maintained that her decision does not violate the Hippocratic Oath, a binding document that outlines a doctor’s obligations to its patients, because she is “following the science.”
“The Hippocratic Oath is very science-based,” she explained. “I am following the science. I’m applying this to the benefit of the sick. Responsibility has to do with each individual. This is a global health issue, and everyone owns part of that responsibility.”
