Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association Statement Supporting COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Hospital and Health System Employees

July 18, 2021

RICHMOND, VA – The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA) today issued the following statement supporting COVID-19 vaccine requirements for health care workers.

“When the COVID-19 vaccines were first released, the VHHA and its members strongly encouraged all Virginians, particularly hospital and health system employees, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In the months since, the COVID-19 vaccines have proven to be extraordinarily safe and effective and have resulted in case counts and hospitalizations declining to their lowest levels since the pandemic began.”

“The scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that the COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from becoming seriously ill, requiring hospitalization, or dying from the virus, as well as spreading it to others. Virginia Department of Health data shows that since late January when vaccines first became available to the general public in the Commonwealth, 99.4 percent of cases, 99 percent of hospitalizations, and 99.3 percent of deaths have occurred in people who have not been vaccinated.”

“In recent weeks, many organizations representing medical professionals have called for COVID-19 vaccine requirements for healthcare workers. Many hospitals and health systems across the country have begun implementing COVID-19 vaccine requirements. Hospitals and health systems currently require vaccines against a variety of other diseases and viruses.”

“Given this, VHHA supports hospitals and health systems amending their existing vaccine policies to require COVID-19 vaccines for their health care employees. VHHA recognizes that each hospital and health system is unique and encourages each hospital and health system to determine the appropriate time to implement a requirement.”

“Hospital and health system employee vaccination against COVID-19 will maintain the long-term ability of our health care system to respond to the pandemic, to safely care for patients by protecting them from infection, and to mitigate the spread of the virus within health care facilities and among clinicians, patients, and their families and friends. Implementing COVID-19 vaccine requirements will help accomplish these goals, while protecting the patients and communities served by our hospitals and health systems.”

About VHHA: The Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association is an alliance of 110 hospitals and 26 health delivery systems that develops and advocates for sound health care policy in the Commonwealth. Its mission is to achieve excellence in both health care and health. Its vision is through the power of collaboration to be recognized as a driving force behind making Virginia the healthiest state in the nation. Connect with VHHA through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Julian Walker
Vice President of Communications
(804) 297-3193 office
(804) 304-7402 mobile
jtwalker@vhha.com