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October 6 (UPI) – A Colorado health system is defending its decision to require coronavirus vaccination for people receiving organ transplants after a Republican state senator complained about a patient’s refusal.
University of Colorado Health spokesperson Dan Weaver told the Denver Post that putting conditions in place for transplant patients before, during and after surgery is common and long before the COVID-19 pandemic. .
Tim Geitner, Colorado State Representative complained on Twitter about a letter he received about a local patient being refused surgery. The patient told Geiter he was placed on the transplant waiting list as “inactive” because he had not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
“UCHealth denies life-saving treatment – kidney transplant – for [an] El Paso County resident, ”Geitner tweeted.
“Patients may be required to receive vaccines, including hepatitis B, MMR and others,” Weaver told the Post. “Patients may also be required to avoid alcohol, quit smoking, or prove that they can continue to take their anti-rejection drugs long after their transplant.
“These requirements increase the likelihood that a transplant will be successful and the patient will avoid rejection.”
Weaver said unvaccinated transplant patients have a higher death rate – 20% to 30%, compared to less than 2% in the general population for those who tested positive for the virus.
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