Health Groups Call For Mandatory Vaccines For Health Care Workers

ACROSS AMERICA — A group of doctors, nurses and health groups are calling for the coronavirus vaccine to be mandatory for all health care workers nationwide. More than 50 groups signed a statement to that end and shared it with The Washington Post.

"Due to the recent COVID-19 surge and the availability of safe and effective vaccines, our health care organizations and societies advocate that all health care and long-term care employers require their workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine," the statement reads. "This is the logical fulfillment of the ethical commitment of all health care workers to put patients as well as residents of long-term care facilities first and take all steps necessary to ensure their health and well-being."

The American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association were among the groups calling for the mandatory vaccines. It comes as confirmed coronavirus cases have soared nationwide this month. New cases have nearly quadrupled, from about 13,000 per day at the start of July to about more than 50,000 now, according to data from The Post.

The country has also lagged on vaccinations, including among those in the health care industry. While 163 million Americans were fully vaccinated as of Monday, that accounts for just 57.4 percent of the population that is age 12 or older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine tracker shows.

As of July 11, about 38 percent of workers in nursing homes alone were not vaccinated, according to The Post.

"Unfortunately, many health care and long-term care personnel remain unvaccinated," the statement shared with The Post reads. "As we move towards full FDA approval of the currently available vaccines, all health care workers should get vaccinated for their own health, and to protect their colleagues, families, residents of long-term care facilities and patients."

Read more via The Washington Post