from the editor
Civil Liberties and Obligations to Patient Safety Clash as Experts Urge Healthcare Workers to Accept COVID-19 Vaccinations
As
of the end of May 2021 , 1 in 4 hospital workers had received even a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine , and vaccination rates were higher in the general population than among healthcare workers , according to a WebMD and Medscape Medical News analysis of data collected by HHS from 2,500 hospitals across the country . According to CMS , 59 percent of staff and 80 percent of residents in nursing homes were vaccinated .
In a commentary published in the American Journal of Medicine , Charles Hennekens , MD , DrPH , from Florida Atlantic University , addresses the clinical and public health challenges as well as ethical implications for healthcare workers to achieve high levels of vaccinations to protect themselves , their coworkers and the general public from COVID-19 . The authors say the urgency derives from the fact that cases are already increasing throughout the U . S . and most are due to the Delta variant .
Politicization of COVID-19 is causing politicians and public health experts to now characterize the pandemic as “ an epidemic of the unvaccinated .” Experts say healthcare workers who reject the vaccine greatly increase their risk of becoming infected and may expose their patients , families and fellow citizens to COVID-19 . Some hospitals / healthcare systems are now requiring COVID-19 vaccination as a mandatory condition of employment .
“ On a daily basis , we try to prevent and treat illness based on a sufficient totality of evidence that allows rational clinical decision making for individual patients and policy making for the health of the general public ,” writes Hennekens . “ At present , in the U . S ., healthcare workers and the general public should be acutely aware that these vaccines provide the best opportunity to combat COVID-19 . Rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine by healthcare workers poses an ‘ ethical quagmire ,’ because levels of protection far exceed those of the influenza or pneumococcal vaccines , which have been widely accepted by the majority of adults , including healthcare providers .”
I would point out that there are still many , many Americans who are exercising their constitutional right to refrain from taking an experimental vaccine whose short- and longterm effects are not fully known or understood ; we also need better data on side effects and more science in general to help address vaccine hesitancy .
Hennekens also emphasizes that “ the greatest reassurance to healthcare workers should be that less than 5 percent of those receiving the COVID-19 vaccine become infected , of which , perhaps 94 percent will not transmit the virus to others . In addition , the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are far less than from the vaccine for influenza . Specifically , serious side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines occur in the range of one per million doses .”
“ The war on COVID-19 is being fought most successfully , valiantly , and selflessly by healthcare workers in hospitals who are doing the most good for the most patients , while placing themselves and their loved ones at increased risks from exposure from their patients ,” says Hennekens . “ As competent and compassionate healthcare professionals , we must redouble our efforts to promote evidence-based clinical and public health practices that should include vaccination of all U . S . healthcare workers .”
Earlier this month , a new policy statement issued by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America ( SHEA ) said that all healthcare personnel should be immunized against vaccine preventable diseases recommended by the CDC ’ s ACIP as a condition of employment . The broad statement of support of the vaccination recommendations suggests medical contraindications as the only exception to receiving recommended immunizations .
This will likely be one of the most contentious issues that the healthcare sector has seen in a while , perhaps rivaling or even eclipsing the debate when mandatory influenza vaccination policies were proposed and adopted . It ’ s time to put politics aside , evaluate the science fully without bias , and continue to engage in dialogue that is respectful of individual rights and supportive of patient and healthcare worker wellbeing and safety .
Until next month , bust those bugs ! Kelly M . Pyrek Editor & Publisher kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine . com healthcarehygienemagazine
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