With COVID-19 cases rising in many states and the rapid spread of the Delta variant, Dr. David J. Skorton, president and CEO of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), is urging all member institutions to require vaccinations for its employees.
In a statement, he wrote, “we have tragically lost some health care personnel to the coronavirus, while others have taken the infection home to their families. Vaccinating health care personnel at our member institutions saves lives.”
Many medical centers, such as the University of Pennsylvania Health System, have already begun requiring all employees and clinical staff to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
“We did not come to this recommendation lightly, but instead considered the large and convincing body of evidence on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines that led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to grant emergency use authorizations (EUAs),” Skorton added. “The strength of this data collected prior to the EUAs, along with confirmation of the vaccines’ effectiveness in the real-world in countries around the world, supports this recommendation.”
