Public Health – Seattle & King County is recommending mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for healthcare personnel and strongly encourages healthcare facilities and long-term care employers in King County to follow this recommendation.
The recommendation is an endorsement of the multisociety statements from wide range of medical, healthcare, and public health professional societies and organizations stating that COVID-19 vaccination should be a condition of employment for all healthcare personnel.
As highlighted by 31 national professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians and American Nurses Association, requiring vaccination among healthcare workers is important for patient and healthcare worker safety.
Excerpt adapted from multisociety statement by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America et. al.:
“Full vaccination against COVID-19 offers several advantages to patient and healthcare personnel safety. This includes:
- Individual protection against COVID-19 infection;
- Further protection for patients and healthcare providers who are unable to receive COVID-19 vaccination or are not able to mount an adequate immune response;
- Reduced risk of asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic transmission of the virus between healthcare providers and from healthcare providers to patients, and
- Reduced risk of transmitting infection to household members and community contacts and increased protection for the healthcare workforce in the community.”
“I strongly support hospitals, health systems and long-term care systems in adopting mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies for their healthcare personnel,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer, Public Health – Seattle & King County. “No patient should have to worry about getting COVID-19 from a healthcare provider. Protection against COVID-19 reduces the risk of severe illness and protects the safety of patients, healthcare workers, families and our community.”
Read Public Health’s statement.
Originally posted July 30, 2021