The West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA) today issued the following statement regarding vaccination of health care personnel.
“West Virginia hospitals are committed to making the state’s hospitals safer for every patient, visitor, and staff member. This commitment to the safety of patients and hospital staff is why hospitals have historically required vaccination against seasonal flu and other contagious diseases, and why some hospitals have recently announced COVID-19 requirements.
Accordingly, the West Virginia Hospital Association (WVHA) supports hospitals and health systems that require COVID-19 vaccination of their employees, with local factors and circumstances shaping how and when their policies are implemented.
West Virginia hospitals have seen first-hand the devastation COVID-19 has caused to the people of our state. They understand how deadly this disease can be. Physicians, nurses, and hospitals’ clinical leaders are confident in both the science and the safety behind the vaccine, with the benefits strongly outweighing the minimal side effects.
Hospital employee and staff 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 impact of the virus within health care facilities and among patients, hospital personnel, and their families and friends.
It is important for hospitals and health systems to lead in the critical mission to increase vaccination rates; therefore, the West Virginia Hospital Association encourages all West Virginians to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.”
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