COVID booster mandates? New Jersey hospital is among first for those who got J&J shots
As many businesses across the U.S. mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees, will COVID-19 booster shots soon be required as well for some workers?
At least in a hospital in Newark, New Jersey, that is now the case for certain employees.
University Hospital in Newark is believed to be the first in the state to implement a COVID-19 vaccine booster mandate for employees who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, according to a hospital representative.
“Data and analysis indicate that a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may no longer confer a level of effectiveness that prevents COVID-19 infection in enough of our employees if they are exposed, which has implications on our ability to keep vulnerable patients and families safe,” President and CEO of the hospital Dr. Shereef Elnahal said in a statement.
The new requirement, announced Oct. 27, comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and FDA’s authorization of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots for targeted American populations.
Workers at University Hospital — the only public acute care facility in New Jersey — who received the Johnson & Johnson jab have until Dec. 24 to receive a booster, according to the hospital’s news release.
This means they can either get another Johnson & Johnson shot, or “mix and match” by opting for a Pfizer dose or a half dose of Moderna.
About 270 employees at the hospital were vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Elnahal told McClatchy News in a phone interview.
If one of those employees refuses to get the booster shot, there will be an escalating set of warnings, he said. If they still decline, it will result in a termination of employment.
Elnahal will hold several lunches and dinners, starting Nov. 1, to meet with employees that are impacted by the booster mandate to answer any questions, he said.
“In my view, the goal of this is not to discipline people. It’s not to force people to do anything,” Elnahal explained. “It’s to protect the safety and health of our employees and patients.”
He acknowledged that the new booster mandate is not supported by everyone at the hospital.
“I just wanna be honest about that,” he said. “There are employees who have concerns and I’ve already heard about that and that’s the exact reason I want to do these personal lunches with people and explain the context, explain the rationale.”
The CDC says those who received both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, are considered fully vaccinated.
At University Hospital, over 93% of employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 out of its 3,700 workers, according to the hospital representative. The roughly remaining 7% were mostly exempt for religious or medical reasons.
“The CDC’s recommendations for booster doses will provide additional protections for all those who have finished their primary series and also offer vaccine choice for boosters,” New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said in the news release.
She added: “Healthcare workers have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and with the Delta variant remaining active, booster doses will help increase immunity not only for recipients but will further protect the healthcare community.”
Now, millions of Americans are eligible for a booster shot.
People 18 and older who received the Johnson & Johnson shot are able to get a booster if they got their first dose at least two months ago.
For those vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna, it is recommended for people 65 and older to get a booster shot — as well as for those 18 and older in long-term care settings, with underlying medical conditions or those who work or live in high-risk settings.
“These recommendations are another example of our fundamental commitment to protect as many people as possible from COVID-19,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement. “The evidence shows that all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized in the United States are safe – as demonstrated by the over 400 million vaccine doses already given.”
An Oct. 29 Gallup poll found 36% of Americans say their employer has required them to get vaccinated against COVID-19 — up from 9% in July. Another 39% said it was encouraged at work, but not required.
Fifty-six percent of respondents in the poll said they support COVID-19 vaccine mandates at work, with 37% opposed.
In September, President Joe Biden announced that companies with over 100 workers must mandate COVID-19 vaccinations unless employees opt for weekly testing instead. He said this would apply to roughly 80 million workers in the U.S.
Biden ordered the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish this rule in order to implement it as a “Emergency Temporary Standard.” OSHA submitted initial text of the rule, which has not yet gone into effect, for review on Oct. 12, CNN reported.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 10:20 AM with the headline "COVID booster mandates? New Jersey hospital is among first for those who got J&J shots."
.jpg)