Care worker's tearful video after being sacked because she refused COVID vaccine

Watch: Care worker in tears from losing job after refusing to have vaccine

A care worker who was sacked because she refused to have a coronavirus vaccine has posted an emotional video after her final shift.

Louise Akester, 36, broke down in tears after leaving her job at Alderson House in Hull, where she has spent the past three years.

New government requirements mean all care home workers must be fully vaccinated from 11 November.

She has worked in the care sector for 14 years.

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In her video, filmed in her car last Friday, she broke down in tears just minutes after finishing her last shift.

“That's the hardest thing I've ever had to do, saying goodbye to everybody, all the people that I've cared for, for so long, the people I've worked with,” she said.

“It's been so emotional, this is so unfair.

“I just can't believe what the bloody government is doing to us, I just don't get it, I don't understand.

“The residents in there are crying their eyes out.”

Ms Akester, from Hull, has said she would not rule out getting vaccinating against COVID-19 in the future, but does not intend to receive the jab soon.

It is estimated that up to 60,000 care home workers across England - about a tenth of the workforce - could lose their jobs because they have not been double vaccinated.

Ms Akester said she has been tested for COVID-19 three times a week and that she always followed infection guidelines in her role.

Read more: Thousands of double vaccinated over 70s have died in last 4 weeks

Before her last shift, she said: “I’ve been swarmed by messages of support and thanks.

“They've contacted me from all over nationally, not just Hull.

“Some in the Hull area want to meet up in the future and compare notes on our experiences.

“It's nice to know I'm not alone, that there's other people in my shoes.

“I wish we had something much nicer in common, but it is what it is.”

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