The Houston Methodist hospital system is now the first U.S. hospital to require all staff to be vaccinated against Covid-19. The bold move toward mandatory vaccination comes on the heels of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report showing that the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are 90% effective at preventing Covid-19 infections in healthcare workers and first responders.
On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that Marc Boom, MD, the hospital’s chief executive officer, notified the staff via email of the new vaccine policy. The Methodist system currently requires all new staff to be fully vaccinated. The new mandate will require all staff to receive their first vaccine dose by the middle of April.
The Houston Methodist system employs 26,000 people. Currently, 83% have started the vaccination process. Boom encourages hospital staff to demonstrate leadership through vaccination to help create a safe environment for patient care. In his email, he wrote: “When we choose to be vaccinated against Covid-19, we are prioritizing safety by helping stop the spread of this deadly virus and keeping our patients, visitors, and colleagues safe.”
The Houston Methodist system is now the first hospital in the country to mandate employee Covid-19 vaccination. This decision by a private company is likely to be a driving force to encourage widespread vaccine adoption. Recent data from the CDC shows that this controversial decision is backed up by clinical evidence.
The data shows that vaccines keep healthcare workers safe
The CDC published updated information on vaccination’s safety and efficacy in healthcare workers in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on March 29. This update analyzed Covid-19 vaccines in a real-world setting. The findings showed the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were 90% effective at preventing Covid-19 infections among healthcare personnel, first responders, and other essential frontline workers. Improving the number of vaccinated workers reduces the risk of spreading the infection from health providers to patients.
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Currently, there are three FDA-approved vaccines for Covid-19. The mRNA vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer offer 95% protection against Covid-19. In these vaccines, a single strand of mRNA delivers instructions to human cells to produce an antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The vaccine from Johnson & Johnson/Janssen offers 72% protection against infection and 86% against severe disease. Unlike those from Moderna and Pfizer, this vaccine uses a virus called Adenovirus 26 (AD26) as the vector to deliver DNA material into our cells to provoke an immune response. The Moderna and Janssen vaccines are approved for people 18 years old and up, and the Pfizer vaccine is approved for people ages 16 and over.
All three vaccines are highly effective in preventing death
Many vaccine-hesitant individuals still express fears over the vaccine approval process. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, has a strict protocol for vaccine approval. The reason there was enough data for the approved Covid-19 vaccines to qualify for emergency use authorization is because the research was backed by a substantial $10 billion financial investment, and the virus was highly prevalent worldwide. In other words, the FDA did not rush the vaccine approval: The trials were well funded, and there were a massive number of trial participants.
An effective vaccine is only useful if people get it
The good news is that public support for vaccination is already changing. Many workers prefer an employee vaccination mandate: At the end of 2020, a CNBC poll showed that 57% of workers supported mandatory Covid-19 vaccination before going back to work.
Recent Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guidance shows that employers may mandate vaccination. While the Houston Methodist system may be the first hospital to require vaccination, other industry employers may be motivated to encourage vaccine compliance to avoid lost workdays, reduce remote working, and prevent increases in health insurance premiums.
Other companies outside of healthcare are already exploring options.
As Forbes reported in November 2020, Qantas Airways CEO Alan Joyce said he planned to restrict airline travel to those who have been vaccinated or have documented immunity. During a Yale Chief Executive Leadership Institute poll at a virtual summit, 72% of current and recent CEOs of major companies signaled an openness to vaccine mandates. Companies participating in the Yale summit include Walmart, Goldman Sachs, and eBay.
