Boston, MA, June 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mass General Brigham today announced that it will require its 80,000 employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) grants approval of one of the three vaccines. More than 85 percent of Mass General Brigham employees have already been vaccinated—one of the highest rates nationwide among health care systems.
“Over the past 16 months we have come together as a system to care for our patients and each other as never before and the efforts of our employees have been extraordinary and inspiring,” said Anne Klibanski, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Mass General Brigham. “The evidence of COVID-19 vaccine safety and effectiveness is overwhelming. Getting vaccinated is the single most important and responsible step each of us can take to put an end to this devastating pandemic and protect patients, families, and each other.”
As the largest academic health system and private employer in Massachusetts, Mass General Brigham has administered more than 450,000 vaccine doses to patients and employees, helping to make Massachusetts among the top-vaccinated areas in the country. Clinical data and trends clearly demonstrate that the vaccines have proven central to reducing the spread of the virus, hospitalizations and deaths across the Commonwealth.
Mass General Brigham joins many other leading health care systems in the United States in making COVID-19 vaccination a requirement, ensuring that patients are being cared for in the safest clinical environment possible. The decision is consistent with Mass General Brigham’s approach to the flu vaccine, which became a requirement in 2018. As with other vaccines, employees will be able to request exemption for medical and religious reasons and employees who are pregnant or who intend to become pregnant may also request an exemption. A deadline for vaccination will be determined after FDA approval.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Mass General Brigham has treated nearly 19,000 COVID-19 positive inpatients and administered more than 1.1 million COVID-19 tests. At the same time, Mass General Brigham researchers have worked around the clock to develop and assess new approaches to test for, treat, and prevent COVID-19.
About Mass General Brigham
Mass General Brigham is an integrated academic healthcare system, uniting great minds in medicine to make life-changing impact for patients in our communities and people around the world. Mass General Brigham connects a full continuum of care across a system of academic medical centers, community and specialty hospitals, a health insurance plan, physician networks, community health centers, home care, and long-term care services. Mass General Brigham is a non-profit organization that is committed to patient care, research, teaching, and service to the community. In addition, Mass General Brigham is one of the nation’s leading biomedical research organizations and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information, please visit massgeneralbrigham.org.
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