University Hospital, the state’s only public acute care facility, is requiring employees who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine to get a booster shot by Dec. 24.
The Newark hospital is believed to be the first in the state to mandate a booster for some of its workers, according to spokesman Adam Dvorin. It became the first hospital in New Jersey to mandate COVID-19 vaccination among all its employees in June. The requirement allowed for exemptions based on medical or religious reasons.
“Data and analysis indicate that a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine may no longer confer a level of effectiveness that prevents COVID-19 infection in enough of our employees if they are exposed, which has implications on our ability to keep vulnerable patients and families safe,” said Dr. Shereef Elnahal, president and CEO of University Hospital, in a statement Wednesday announcing the mandate.
The requirement comes a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration authorized booster shots for those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and Moderna’s two-dose vaccine. A booster for those who received the Pfizer/BioNTech shot was previously approved.
The federal agencies recommend the booster for anyone who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine more than two months ago. The recommended time frame is longer — six months — for those who received Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.
“In light of the CDC and FDA decision-making on Johnson & Johnson vaccine boosters last week, we believe boosters are necessary,” Elnahal said.
More than 93% of University’s roughly 3,700 employees have complied with the hospital’s vaccine mandate, while most of the rest obtained religious or medical exemptions. Roughly 270 employees received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, Dvorin said.
The announcement noted that University Hospital leadership “will continue to monitor data to determine if any additional mandates will be required for employees who received the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines.”
New Jersey Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli supports booster shots for health care employees, she said in the statement.
“The CDC’s recommendations for booster doses will provide additional protections for all those who have finished their primary series and also offer vaccine choice for boosters,” Persichilli said. “Health care workers have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 virus, and with the Delta variant remaining active, booster doses will help increase immunity not only for recipients but will further protect the healthcare community.”
In September, University Hospital fired several employees for submitting fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards in response to its requirement that workers be inoculated.
Before the hospital’s mandate, slightly more than half of its staff had been immunized. University also held a vaccine lottery to incentivize its workers, and four employees won $2,500 apiece.
Elnahal personally met with employees who were hesitant or opposed to the vaccine and succeeded in persuading many of them to get the shot.
He occasionally brings up the devastating impact the pandemic had on the hospital during its peak last year, and how there was a period when a third of the nursing staff was out at any given time because of the coronavirus. U.S. Army Reserve soldiers trained as health care professionals were assigned to the hospital, as well as other facilities around New Jersey.
In early August, Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order requiring all workers in state and private health care facilities to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 7 or undergo weekly testing for the virus.
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Elizabeth Llorente may be reached at ELlorente@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Liz_Llorente
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N.J. hospital mandates booster shots for employees who received J&J vaccine - NJ.com
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