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Vaccinations

WVU Medicine made the right call

The COVID-19 vaccine has been politicized since its debut late last year, as so-called “experts” have sown confusion and uncertainty among the public.

Now, though, following approval of the Pfizer vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, those fears must be put to rest if we desire to get past this threat.

Hospital systems big and small are doing their part to instill confidence in the vaccine by mandating all employees get vaccinated.

As of Friday, more than 150 health systems across the nation have signed on to mandatory vaccinations for staff.

One of those systems is WVU Medicine, which now has required all 21,700-plus employees in its system — both on-site and remote — to be vaccinated by Oct. 31.

WVU Medicine locally operates St. Joseph’s Hospital in Buckhannon. In a memo to staff, WVU Medicine President and CEO Albert Wright acknowledged some employees may not agree with the mandate but asked each of them to remember why they got into the healthcare profession.

“I’m sure this will not sit well with some of you, and I understand. However, I would just encourage everyone to think about the line of work we’re all in — healthcare, where we’re driven by science and data,” Wright said. “Both have overwhelmingly indicated that these vaccines are extremely safe and highly effective. As with some of our other required vaccinations, there will be some specific exemptions based on medical conditions or religious beliefs. I hope the FDA’s formal approval of the vaccine … will offer many of you who’ve thus far been hesitant to get it the peace of mind you are seeking. Joy, my spouse, and I have both been vaccinated, as have all our children. Joy and I would never have allowed our kids to be vaccinated if we thought for one second that the vaccine was unsafe.”

Some of the concern with the vaccine has been based upon personal liberties — that people should not be forced to get vaccinated. While we would agree that people should get vaccinated because it’s the right thing to do for everyone, there are a number of vaccines mandated by the states.

For instance, all school-age children in West Virginia must be inoculated against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella and hepatitis B.

Gen. George Washington, during the Revolutionary War, made the decision to inoculate his troops against smallpox. Massachusetts was the first state to pass a law mandating vaccines in 1809; in 1855, that state was the first to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. The Supreme Court has upheld vaccine mandates.

It takes courage these days to do what some will see as unpopular, and in this case WVU Medicine and other health systems made the right call in requiring all employees — particularly those who are involved in patient care — to be vaccinated.

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