Doctors, Nurses and Medical Groups Call for Mandatory Coronavirus Vaccinations for Health Workers
By Dan Diamond
A coalition of leading medical groups is calling for mandatory vaccinations of healthcare workers against COVID-19. "We call for all healthcare and long-term care employers to require their employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19," said the joint statement from the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, and 55 other organizations. "The health and safety of U.S. workers, families, communities, and the nation depends on it." The statement comes as new COVID-19 cases increase around the country, spurred by the highly transmissible Delta variant. Tracking by the Washington Post indicates that confirmed coronavirus infections have almost quadrupled in July, rising to more than 50,000 cases per day from about 13,000 at the beginning of the month. Despite having priority access to COVID-19 vaccines, many employees in the health sector are still not vaccinated. Indeed, more than 38% of nursing home workers were not fully vaccinated as of July 11, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and analyzed by LeadingAge, which represents nonprofit nursing homes and other providers of senior care. Furthermore, a WebMD and Medscape Medical News analysis estimated that one-quarter of hospital employees who had contact with patients had not been vaccinated by the end of May. The coalition members said the slowed pace of vaccinations, along with the risk of the Delta variant, prompted them to speak up.
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