Spectrum Health officials have decided its team members and medical staff must receive a COVID-19 vaccine within eight weeks of the Food and Drug Administration’s full approval. That will include students, volunteers and contractors associated with the hospital. By law, the hospital will consider exemptions.
The FDA is currently reviewing Pfizer’s priority review application and could give its full approval by the end of the year if not sooner.
With 31,000 employees, Spectrum Health decided a vaccinated workforce would serve the public good by curbing the length of the pandemic and saving lives.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that since July 20th, 83% of current COVID-19 cases are delta variant related and that variant is 225% more transmissible than the original COVID-19 virus. Spectrum points out more than 99% of all deaths from COVID-19 infection are in unvaccinated persons.
In a news release, “Spectrum Health may decide to act more quickly if it sees a risk to team members and public health as a result of the delta variant, or subsequent variants, based on data in our local communities.”