Fifty-seven medical societies recently released a joint statement calling upon health systems and long-term care facilities to require vaccination against COVID-19 as a condition of employment (with limited exemptions). Despite prioritized access, a substantial proportion of health care workers have opted not to receive vaccination. This poses a threat to patients with cardiovascular disease. High-quality cardiovascular care requires teams of clinicians and support personnel, with each individual bringing their best effort to fulfill their unique role. Unvaccinated staff are more likely to become infected, infect others or require quarantining after exposure, all of which can adversely impact cardiovascular care teams.
While worker autonomy is a critical priority, it cannot risk compromising the quality of care and jeopardizing patients' health. Given the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, many health care organizations have already created plans to incorporate COVID vaccine requirements into their long-standing employee vaccination policies. The very high transmissibility of COVID variants will lead many others to follow this lead.
Eric Stecker, MD, MPH
Chair, ACC Science and Quality Committee
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