Houston Hospital First in Nation to Require Staff Covid-19 Vaccinations
Vaccinating hospital staff reduces risk to patients
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The Houston Methodist hospital system is now the first U.S. hospital to require all staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The bold move toward mandatory vaccination comes on the heels of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showing that the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are 90% effective at preventing Covid-19 infections in healthcare workers and first responders.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Marc Boom, MD, the hospital’s chief executive officer, notified the staff via email of the new vaccine policy. The Methodist system currently requires all new staff to be fully vaccinated. The new mandate will require all staff to receive their first vaccine dose by the middle of April.
The Houston Methodist system employs 26,000 people. Currently, 83% have started the vaccination process. Boom encourages hospital staff to demonstrate leadership through vaccination to help create a safe environment for patient care. In his email, he wrote: “When we choose to be vaccinated against Covid-19, we are prioritizing safety by helping stop the spread of this deadly virus and keeping our patients, visitors, and colleagues safe.”
The Houston Methodist system is now the first hospital in the country to mandate employee Covid-19 vaccination. This decision by a private company is likely to be a driving force to encourage widespread vaccine adoption. Recent data from the CDC shows that this controversial decision is backed up by clinical evidence.
The data shows that vaccines keep healthcare workers safe
The CDC published updated information on vaccination’s safety and efficacy in healthcare workers in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on March 29. This update analyzed Covid-19 vaccines in a real-world setting. The findings showed the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were 90% effective at preventing Covid-19 infections among healthcare personnel, first responders, and other essential frontline workers. Improving the number of vaccinated workers reduces the risk of spreading the infection from health providers…
