Three major GI societies have endorsed a call to require health care workers in the United States to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The statement, issued in late July, comes in response to the surge in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths linked to the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) are among the roughly 90 medical groups to sign the position statement, which was written by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, the vice provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, and David J. Skorton, MD, the president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) has yet to add its name to the list of signatories. Raymond Chung, MD, a Harvard hepatologist and the president of AASLD, said his group planned to sign. Meanwhile, the liver group provided the following statement: 'AASLD fully supports the "Joint Statement in Support of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for All Workers in Health and Long-Term Care.' We know that as health care professionals, we have an integral role to play in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, and thus, AASLD joins with our fellow health care association colleagues, including the GI Societies, to support this important step in our fight against the virus and its variants. Working together as a community, and doing our part by getting vaccinated, we can make great strides in containing COVID-19."

 

The document states: "All who work in health care institutions are health care workers, regardless of their specific job description, and all of us depend on them to contribute to the effective, safe, and compassionate care we expect of our health care institutions.

"Unfortunately, when it comes to COVID-19 vaccination rates, health care workers seem to reflect the country. Vaccination rates vary greatly, with 96% of physicians but 55% of nursing home staff, fewer than 50% of nurses, and just 26% of home health aides being fully vaccinated. To prevent the ravages of COVID-19, many more people living in the United States need to be vaccinated. The facts are clear: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–authorized vaccines have been administered to hundreds of millions of people and have been found to prevent severe disease and death. Our fondest hope is that the vaccination rate will increase quickly.

"It is imperative that all 17 million health care workers in the United States be vaccinated. The best way to achieve this is for them to choose vaccination. However, in the current situation, health care employers should mandate vaccination."

The New York Times reported in late July that about 25% of hospital workers in the state have not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Some health care workers have opposed mandates for vaccination, including a group of more than 150 employees in Houston who either were fired or resigned in protest after refusing to receive the inoculations.

John M. Inadomi, MD, the president of the AGA, said the association “supports  the efforts highlighted in this joint statement because this puts our patients first. Vaccination not only protects our health care workers, but more importantly, this protects our patients who rely on us to provide care for them every day. Science supports the effectiveness and safety of vaccination, and it is time that health care workers step up to lead our nation to life beyond the pandemic.”

Douglas K. Rex, MD, the president of the ASGE, said: “The current vaccines are clearly effective at reducing hospitalization and death from infection with the delta variant. The ASGE has always put patients first. We join other medical societies in the call for all health care employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to ensure the health and well-being and safety of patients and health care employees.”

Infectious disease societies are among those driving the initiative. In a statement, Daniel P. McQuillen, MD, the president-elect of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said: “Requiring COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of employment is a powerful tool for protecting front-line workers and patients against highly contagious variants and in communities with significant numbers of unvaccinated people. Health care organizations have an opportunity to lead by example, setting a precedent for other organizations to require vaccination to safeguard the health of employees and entire communities.” 

The statement was posted on the website of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. For a list of signatories to the statement, visit https://rb.gy/pbnafy.