W.Va.’s largest private entrepreneur. issues the workers ’vaccination warrant

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP / WSAZ) – West Virginia’s largest private employer is demanding that its employees be fully vaccinated against coronavirus on Oct. 31, as virus cases continue to grow exponentially across the state.

The mandate issued by the University of West Virginia health system applies to workers at its hospitals and clinics in West Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

“We do it because it is right. We are the state’s leading health care provider and the largest employer, and we have a higher obligation to our patients and to others. I want WVU Medicine hospitals and clinics to be as safe as possible for our patients and staff. A fully vaccinated staff will help ensure that safety, ”said Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO of the WVU Health System.

Wright was the first employee of WVU’s JW Ruby Memorial Medical Hospital to receive the COVID-19 vaccine on December 15, 2020, according to a statement.

Wright went on to say that the health care system cannot allow a situation to develop in which there are hundreds of employees because of COVID-19.

“The number of unvaccinated staff due to COVID is increasing and is beginning to have a material impact on our patient care mission. Nor can we have a two-tier staff with one vaccinated and one not. This is a burden. unfair to our vaccinated staff, our patients, and the public, who expect us to be able to provide the services they need when they need them.Although there is uncertainty about the current wave we are in, we know one thing for sure: the vaccine is extremely safe and effective, ”said Wright.

The new mandate also applies to staff working remotely at home or on site.

The number of active virus cases across the state has doubled in the last ten days.

The decision comes on the same day the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, which the health system had already administered to more than 60 percent of its workforce under an emergency use authorization, according to the statement. .

Nearly 4,000 new positive cases were reported last week alone, figures not seen since the end of January.

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