ChristianaCare says the policy, defines all caregivers as: ChristianaCare employees (regardless of the type of work they do), Medical-Dental Staff, residents, students, contracted employees, temporary labor, volunteers and vendors.

NEWARK (DE) BY DIGITAL STAFF: ChristianaCare today announced that it will join a growing number of health care systems and hospitals across the nation that are requiring all caregivers to be vaccinated for COVID-19.

All caregivers must receive their first dose of a two-dose vaccine or their single dose of Johnson & Johnson by Tuesday, September 21, 2021.

The decision comes two days after the CDC revised it’s mask guideline after data has shown that COVID-19 has increased at an alarming rate across the country for more than four weeks. 

Although fully vaccinated people represent a very small amount of transmission, Federal health officials believe some vaccinated people could be carrying higher levels of the virus than previously understood, and potentially transmit the virus to others.

The CDC made the decision late Tuesday and recommended that fully vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors again in places with high Covid-19 transmission rates.

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ChristianaCare says the policy, defines all caregivers as: ChristianaCare employees (regardless of the type of work they do), Medical-Dental Staff, residents, students, contracted employees, temporary labor, volunteers and vendors.

“Over the past eight months, we have served our community by administering thousands of vaccines to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Joe Biden was among those who rolled up their sleeves at ChristianaCare to protect themselves and others,” said Janice E. Nevin, M.D., President and CEO.

“Since then, approximately 10,000 of our caregivers have opted for the vaccinations, which have been proven safe and effective at providing lasting immunity to COVID-19 and reducing severe illness.

“While we have not required vaccinations to-date, the highly transmissible delta variant and the surge in COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated people across the country—including in our area—have prompted additional considerations. The science is clear: Health care workers must be vaccinated in order to protect the health and safety of our patients, our caregivers and our community. We must take this step as expert, caring partners in the health of our neighbors.”

The decision comes as a growing number of professional organizations urge all health care facilities to require workers to get vaccinated—including the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Hospital Association, America’s Essential Hospitals, the American College of Surgeons and many others.

“We believe we have reached a tipping point at which the urgent need for all caregivers to be vaccinated is clear,” said Chief People Officer Neil Jasani, M.D., MBA, FACEP. “While we continue to provide exceptional care for people with COVID-19, the fact remains that this is a very dangerous virus, especially the delta variant, which is causing increasing hospitalizations and mortality among younger and healthier people. The best way to protect people and to save lives is through vaccination.”

Vaccine exemptions will only be allowed for specific medical conditions and religious beliefs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines.

At the VA, vaccines will be now mandatory for specified health care personnel – including physicians, dentists, podiatrists, optometrists, registered nurses, physician assistants and others who work in departmental facilities or provide direct care to veterans, said VA Secretary Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough.

“It’s the best way to keep veterans safe, especially as the delta variant spreads across the country,” McDonough said in a statement. “Whenever a veteran or VA employee sets foot in a VA facility, they deserve to know that we have done everything in our power to protect them from COVID-19.

The director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the chief medical advisor to President Biden told members of the media Sunday that the United States is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant.”

“It’s a dynamic situation. It’s a work in progress, it evolves like in so many other areas of the pandemic,” Fauci said in an interview with CNN. “You’ve got to look at the data.”

In an interview with the Washington Post, Fauci told reporters, “The situation has clearly changed” since May 13.”

“Vaccinated people are transmitting it, and the extent is unclear, but there’s no doubt they’re transmitting it,” Fauci said. “People who are vaccinated, even when they’re asymptomatic, can transmit the virus, which is the scientific foundation of why this recommendation is being made.”