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California health workers must get vaccinated by September 30
All workers in healthcare facilities in California must be fully immunized or receive their second dose by September 30, 2021.
ANGELS – California is working to ensure that all employees in state hospitals are fully immunized.
On Thursday, the California Department of Public Health announced that all workers in healthcare facilities must be fully immunized or receive their second dose by September 30, 2021. The announcement comes amid the increase in COVID hospitalizations -19 and patients in intensive care due to the delta a variant.
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The order comes days after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that state employees and healthcare workers must either show proof of vaccination or be tested for the virus once a week. With the announcement of vaccine needs on Thursday, hospital workers will no longer be able to test every week.
California becomes first country to require vaccines for all healthcare workers
All workers in California healthcare facilities will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 under a revised order released Thursday by the state’s public health department.
“As we continue to see an increase in cases and hospitalizations due to the Delta variant of COVID-19, it is important that we protect vulnerable patients in these settings,” said Dr Tomás J. Aragón, director of the CRPD and head of state public health. , in a press release. “Today’s action will also ensure that healthcare workers themselves are protected. Vaccines are how we are ending this pandemic.”
The new decree applies to the following employees, depending on the state:
- Hospital staff
- Qualified personnel in care establishments
- Any other health care facility
California also requires visitors to acute care facilities to show proof of vaccination or test negative for COVID-19 for indoor visits.
RESPONSE TO THE NEW RULE
Arnulfo De La Cruz, executive vice president of SEIU 2015, the union of long-term care workers in California, weighed in on the announcement.
“I want to appreciate the leadership of the Governor and our public health officials in the State of California, because one thing was very important to us – given the impact this pandemic has had on the members of the 2015 SEIU, on qualified health care facilities, those providing care and those under their care in the past 15 months. It was critical to us that the State of California included caregivers and those they care for in any vaccine decision or recommendation and we are happy to have been put on the table and the voice of caregivers. be heard, “he said.
De La Cruz said the announcement did not surprise him.
“Given the most recent iteration of the spread of this continuous virus with the delta strain, it wasn’t a question of whether, it was a question of when more aggressive efforts needed to be made regarding vaccines, ”he said.
De La Cruz said one concern is staffing, an issue already plaguing the industry.
“There is currently a crisis in the possibility of hiring enough certified practical nurses to perform the nursing work at our qualified nursing facilities across California. We don’t want this to deter us from finding workers in such a rewarding setting and important profession, so we need to think about what more we can do, ”he said.
He said it was important to make sure there was enough PPE for staff and to increase wages.
Federal data shows that nearly a quarter of hospital workers in Southern California are unvaccinated. De La Cruz said he believed the majority of the union was vaccinated, but there were reluctance.
“I’ll be honest. Not a day goes by that I don’t talk to someone who is hesitant about the vaccine and similarly, not a day goes by that I don’t hear from someone. one who just got shot, “he said.
Gisella Thomas, respiratory therapist at Desert Regional Medical Center, is “delighted” with the decision.
“I am very, very, very, very happy to hear that this is happening. I know there is going to be resistance but I am delighted,” she said.
She has worked as a respiratory therapist for 50 years and works primarily in the emergency room and trauma center.
“Nothing comes close to what’s going on right now. We literally went through hell. It was overwhelming. There were people dying regularly, and now it’s happening again,” she said.
She said she hopes the mandate will encourage more workers to get vaccinated.
“I hope common sense steps in with everyone and they know it’s really to protect us as healthcare workers. I don’t want to start running around the house again, undress because I have to wash this stuff before I meet someone or see someone in the family so I hope people get vaccinated, ”she said.
Tune into FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest news from Southern California.
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