key: cord-0878867-42br0z26
authors: White, Christopher J.; Samady, Habib; Moliterno, David J.
title: The Case for Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination of Health Care Workers
date: 2021-09-13
journal: JACC Cardiovasc Interv
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcin.2021.07.055
sha: 4782381f146b49de89002ff791a92511efa83452
doc_id: 878867
cord_uid: 42br0z26

nan

I n combination with social distancing and wearing masks, we know that vaccination is the key to controlling the COVID-19 virus, so why are we having a discussion about a vaccine mandate for health care workers? The Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus is a deadly, highly infectious variant that is surging in its fourth wave across the United States and much of the world. Available hospital beds are again rapidly filling or full, and we do not have enough nursing staff to expand bed capacity to care for more patients. We cannot afford to lose our nursing and technical staff to a community superspreader event with our beds full and patients queuing for admission in our emergency departments. Much of the United States is once again in crisis mode.

By some reports, roughly one-half of all health care workers/hospital employees are not vaccinated, despite having 3 highly effective and safe vaccines available to us for the past 8 months (1) . A small number of this unvaccinated group are the so-called anti-vaxxers, a group that uses far-fetched and sometimes irrational arguments to support their views, but are hardened in their convictions not to be vaccinated. A much larger number of the unvaccinated are the "hesitant" group, who offer a variety of reasons for being unwilling to take the emergency use authorization (EUA) vaccine.

Understanding the rationale behind these well- 

Safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Centers for Disease Control and Infection

Prospect theory: an analysis of decision under risk

Hospitals, health systems mandating vaccines for workers. Becker's Hospital Review