CEO DATELINE - Infectious disease groups: Mandate COVID vaccines for health care workers
CEO DATELINE - Infectious disease groups: Mandate COVID vaccines for health care workers
- July 13, 2021 |
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Walt Williams
Hospitals and other health care facilities should require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, seven organizations representing infectious disease experts said Tuesday.
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In a joint statement, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and six other medical groups noted there are many health care professionals who have refused the vaccines. That puts patients at risk and erodes trust in the healthcare system, the groups said.
"The COVID-19 vaccines in use in the United States have been shown to be safe and effective," said David Weber, a member of the SHEA Board of Trustees and lead author of the statement. "By requiring vaccination as a condition of employment we raise levels of vaccination for health care personnel, improve protection of our patients, and aid in reaching community protection."
Employers of all types have struggled with the question on whether to require workers to get vaccinated before returning to work. Republican lawmakers in a handful of states have passed laws that ban mandating COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of employment, although some of those laws are limited to government hiring, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy.
Health care providers require employees to get vaccinated for other diseases. The statement pointed to research showing that among medical organizations that instituted mandated vaccinations for influenza, staff compliance rose to 94.4% compared to 69.6% in organizations without a requirement.
In addition to SHEA, signatories include the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the HIV Medicine Association, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.
Other health care groups have yet to weigh in on the issue, including the American Hospital Association. AHA said it is continuing to consult with members and experts, according to a story in The Washington Post.
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