Editorial: Hospitals shouldn’t have to force vaccines on employees
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In December 2020, after months of wondering when a vaccine for covid-19 would be finished and when it would be available, bringing the end of the pandemic into view, people watched as trucks left loaded with shipments bound for hospitals across the country.
The delivery was highly anticipated. Once in hand, it didn’t take medical facilities long to start administering the shots with a grand flourish. The first people stepping up to the needle were the people who had been dealing with the coronavirus first hand: hospital workers.
“These employees are my personal heroes,” said Tami Minnier, UPMC’s chief quality officer, at the time. “They have worked tirelessly at the frontline, taking care of our communities.”
But despite being at the front of the line for vaccines, a considerable percentage of medical workers have not taken them.
According to a recent Tribune-Review story, St. Clair Health has the highest percentage of vaccinated employees at 85% but it also has the smallest workforce at just 2,500 employees. Allegheny Health comes in second at 72% of its 21,000 workers. UPMC is just behind percentage-wise at 70% but tops out in numbers with about 63,000 of its 90,000 employees. Heritage Valley Health System has just 3,000 employees, but 69% of them have bee vaccinated. Excela Health is at just 62% of its 4,300 employees.
That means that Heritage Valley and Excela Health have a lower percentage of vaccinated employees than the state is shooting for in the general population. A minimum of 70% vaccination is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is necessary for herd immunity. The U.S. was shooting for that number by July 4 and fell short at 67%.
Officials say the delta variant of covid is now the leading cause of new cases, and numbers are starting to rise again. The CDC has called the coming swell a “pandemic of the unvaccinated.” It has prompted some to ask if medical facilities are going to push employees who haven’t gotten the shot to do so.
It’s a sticky proposition, balancing free will with public safety. None of those four local health systems have said they plan to take that step.
But health care workers have taken a hard hit in the pandemic, with everyone from doctors and nurses to janitors numbering among the 609,000 dead nationally.
It is in the best interest of medical employees to be an example to their community and get vaccinated whether their employers demand it or not.