Hospital system refusing transplants to unvaccinated patients – WSB-TV Channel 2

A Colorado hospital system confirmed on Tuesday that it was refusing transplants to people who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 “in almost all situations,” saying the vaccine increases the chances of a successful transplant, according to the Denver Post.

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The hospital system’s practice came to light on Tuesday after Colorado State Representative Tim Geitner (R) posted a letter on Twitter saying he said UCHealth sent a woman from El Paso County who awaiting a transplant and not vaccinated against COVID-19.

“The University of Colorado Hospital transplant team determined that it was necessary to put you inactive on the waiting list,” the letter reads. “You will be inactivated on the non-compliance list by not receiving the COVID vaccine. “

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In the letter, officials said the woman had 30 days to start a series of vaccinations before she was taken off the kidney transplant list unless she was vaccinated.

In a Facebook Live video, Geitner said the woman has a graft donor lined up. He called UCHealth’s policies “incredibly frustrating, incredibly sad, incredibly disgusting”.

“I think this is of great concern to many of us when we look at the kind of care we can expect from our healthcare facilities here in Colorado, where, based on your COVID-based vaccine status, you would be in. actually refused treatment, ”he said. noted.

UCHealth spokesperson Dan Weaver told the Post that it is common for hospitals to require patients to meet various conditions, including some requiring vaccinations, before and after the patient receives a transplant. .

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“For example, patients may be required to receive vaccines including hepatitis B, MMR and others,” he told the newspaper in an email. “Patients may also be required to avoid alcohol, quit smoking, or prove that they can continue to take their anti-rejection medications long after their transplant. These requirements increase the likelihood that a transplant will be successful and the patient will avoid rejection.

Weaver told the Washington Post that the death rate for transplant patients infected with COVID-19 ranges from 20% to over 30%, far higher than the 1.6% death rate seen nationwide from of COVID-19.

“An organ transplant is a one-time surgery that leads to specialized lifelong management to ensure that an organ is not rejected, which can lead to serious complications, the need for a subsequent transplant, and even death. “he said in an email. according to the Washington Post. “Physicians need to consider the short and long term health risks to patients when considering recommending an organ transplant. “

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More than 106,000 people are on the national transplant waiting list and 17 people die every day while waiting for a transplant, according to data from the Federal Organ Supply and Transplant Network.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 56% of the U.S. population, or 186 million people, were fully immunized on Tuesday morning. Research has shown that fully vaccinated people can spread the highly transmissible delta variant of COVID-19. However, authorities have noted that the vaccination protects well against the severe and life-threatening symptoms of the viral infection.

Since the start of the pandemic, authorities have confirmed more than 43.9 million COVID-19 infections and reported more than 705,000 deaths nationwide, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

More than 235.9 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported worldwide, resulting in more than 4.8 million deaths, according to Johns Hopkins.

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