EDITOR'S NOTE: As of July 30, 2021, the federal Veterans Administration, the states of California and New York and several cities have announced they are requiring their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Google, Facebook are also requiring inoculations for their worksites, and Walmart Inc. and Walt Disney Co. are requiring that certain workers must get vaccinated for Covid-19.
ASCP and other specialty medical societies, led by the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) today released a
statement calling for all health care employers to require their employees be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The statement comes in response to the recent COVID-19 surge and the availability of extremely safe and effective vaccines. Many health care personnel remain unvaccinated and have the potential to acquire and transmit SARS-CoV-2.
“Vaccination rates are low, and we need to increase those,” ASCP President Kimberly Sanford, MD, MASCP, MT(ASCP), said. “ASCP and other members of the health care community need to lead by example.”
COVID-19 vaccines limit viral transmission, protect health care workers and improve patient and public health. Many healthcare settings already require vaccinations for influenza, hepatitis B, and pertussis. While some workers cannot be vaccinated because of identified medical or other reasons, they constitute a small minority of all workers.
As the nation moves toward full FDA licensure of the currently available vaccines, all health care workers without identified exemptions should get vaccinated for their own health and to protect those they treat, especially unvaccinated children, those who are vulnerable, and the immunocompromised, according to the statement.
“We have a highly infectious COVID-19 variant circulating now, and the number of individuals who become infected and need to be hospitalized is increasing significantly,” said Gary Procop, MD, MS, MASCP, Chair of the ASCP Institute for Science, Technology and Policy. “This puts a strain on the healthcare system. And, in order to encourage people to get vaccinated, we need to show them that vaccines are safe and effective.”
Existing COVID-19 vaccine mandates have proven effective, resulting in more than 95 percent compliance in all reported instances. Similarly, mandates for other vaccinations have been necessary to achieve compliance among health care workers. Mandates are an essential policy to increase vaccination rates in healthcare settings and protect patients.
“The healthcare profession needs to be the shining light,” said ASCP CEO E. Blair Holladay, PhD, MASCP, SCT(ASCP)CM. “We need to stand up for science. This statement accomplishes that by bringing together the entire medical community to ensure all healthcare professionals are vaccinated and that our healthcare environments are safe for everyone. The health and safety of U.S. workers, communities, and the nation depends on it.”
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