Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Over 50 Medical Groups Press For Mandatory Shots For Health Workers
Modern Healthcare: AMA, Others Urge Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccinations For Health Workers
The American Medical Association, American Nurses Association and dozens of other groups representing medical professionals on Monday called for COVID-19 vaccines to be mandatory for healthcare workers, citing the rise of the Delta variant. In a joint statement, groups including the American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Nursing, American College of Surgeons and dozens of others urged healthcare employers to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for workers. "This is the logical fulfillment of the ethical commitment of all healthcare 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," reads the letter, which was first reported by The Washington Post. (Hellmann, 7/26)
Axios: Over 50 Medical Groups Call For Mandatory Vaccinations For Health Care Workers
More than 50 medical groups, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, called for U.S. health workers to be required to take the COVID-19 vaccine in a joint statement Monday. Mainstream groups representing millions of medical workers are taking a harder line on the issue of mandatory vaccines, as the pace of shots stalls and the Delta variant drives a national surge in coronavirus infections. (Allassan, 7/26)
Florida Times-Union: Mayo Clinic Calls For Staff To Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID
The Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic is requiring all of its employees, including those at its Jacksonville campus, to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by Sept. 17. Staff who decline must complete "education modules," which are training videos, and will be required to wear masks and socially distance when on campus," according to Mayo. (Reese Cravey, 7/26)
Dallas Morning News: Parkland Discusses Possible Vaccine Policy Change As Medical Groups Push For Mandatory Shots
More than 50 prominent medical organizations Monday called for all health-care employers and long-term care facilities to require COVID-19 vaccinations for their entire staffs. In response to inquiries from The Dallas Morning News, the region’s largest public hospital system — Parkland — said it is having internal discussions about a mandate, with a decision expected soon. Parkland doesn’t currently require employees to be vaccinated. “Parkland leadership believes a vaccine mandate for employees would be beneficial in terms of keeping our staff and patients protected from COVID infection,” said Mike Malaise, Parkland’s senior vice president of communications and external relations. (Gonzales, 7/26)
The Boston Globe: Most R.I. Hospitals Are About To Revisit Their COVID-19 Vaccine Policies For Employees
Some of Rhode Island’s largest hospitals are revisiting their COVID-19 vaccine policies for employees. Each of Rhode Island’s hospitals have largely told staff members — including frontline health care workers — that they were not required, but “encouraged” to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19. However, that might change in light of recent recommendations by national groups for health care workers to be required to get fully vaccinated in order to continue working. (Gagosz, 7/26)
In other news about the vaccine rollout —
Fox News: Relatives Of Unvaccinated COVID-19 Victims Urge Others To Seek Shot
Grieving families of COVID-19 victims are making a personal pitch to others who have not yet received a vaccine to do so before it’s too late. "I know that if Curt had survived, he would have made sure everyone knew how serious this disease is, and how important the vaccine is," Christy Carpenter, mother of Curt Carpenter who died in May, told the Montgomery Advertiser. "My daughter and I are now carrying out that mission in his memory." Christy Carpenter said she and her son were concerned about side effects from the vaccine before they both fell ill, and that he initially believed it was "a hoax." She is scheduled to receive her vaccine next week after receiving clearance from her doctor. (Hein, 7/26)
The Washington Post: Family Of Tennessee Talk-Radio Host Urges Vaccine After Covid-19 Battle
After sharing the story of his brother’s ordeal in the hospital, Mark Valentine told The Post that dozens of WTN-FM listeners began writing to the family to say they have decided to get vaccinated. “It’s overwhelming and heartwarming,” Valentine said. “And for these people who are getting vaccinated, we’re just elated about that.” (Shepherd, 7/26)
KHN: Want Fries With That Vaccine? Even At A Fast-Food Restaurant, Pop-Up Clinics See Slow Traffic
A few months ago, the boxy, teal truck parked outside a McDonald’s in this Inland Empire city might have drawn hundreds of people willing to stand in line for hours under the scorching sun. The truck is San Bernardino County’s mobile vaccine unit, which brings covid-19 vaccines directly to people. But on July 15, only 22 people got a covid shot during the four hours it sat there. Roughly 12 feet away, more people were often seen waiting by a red canopy for free, government-subsidized smartphones, intended for low-income people, than were stepping up for the potentially lifesaving shots. (Almendrala, 7/27)
CIDRAP: No Anaphylaxis After Second Dose Of MRNA COVID Vaccine, Study Finds
People who had a severe allergic reaction to their first dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine had no issues after their second dose, according to a retrospective multicenter US study today in JAMA Internal Medicine. Allergic reactions are estimated to occur in up to 2% of people after their first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose, with anaphylaxis reported in as many as 2.5 per 10,000 vaccinees. Anaphylaxis is a severe and potentially deadly systemic allergic reaction. (Van Beusekom, 7/26)
The Atlantic: Your Vaccinated Immune System Is Ready for Breakthroughs
A new dichotomy has begun dogging the pandemic discourse. With the rise of the über-transmissible Delta variant, experts are saying you’re either going to get vaccinated, or going to get the coronavirus. For some people—a decent number of us, actually—it’s going to be both. Coronavirus infections are happening among vaccinated people. They’re going to keep happening as long as the virus is with us, and we’re nowhere close to beating it. When a virus has so thoroughly infiltrated the human population, post-vaccination infections become an arithmetic inevitability. As much as we’d like to think otherwise, being vaccinated does not mean being done with SARS-CoV-2. (Wu, 7/26)
