Mandatory Influenza Vaccination

[MeganMN]

Do you think that the push for the Influenza vaccine in lieu of the Covid pandemic is going to result in hospitals mandating influenza vaccines? do you think it is a segway to mandating the Covid vaccine? What are your thoughts?

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

US Government's Healthy 2020 plan started `10 years ago had a goal of by 2020 > 90% hospital and healthcare workers staff will receive annual Flu vaccine, provided each Sept.+Oct. as optimal time. Healthcare systems/doctors office /home health providers order # doses they need each March for that fall s immunization campaign. They can reorder later in the year but supply not guaranteed.

Most of the Hospitals in Southeast PA mandate annual flu immunization as a condition of employment --doing so for the past 5 years. So I suspect your facility will strongly encourage immunization due to pandemic this year. "Administration of vaccines is an essential medical service."

CDC current guidance: Vaccination Guidance During a Pandemic

https://www.CDC.gov/vaccines/pandemic-guidance/index.html

What You Need to Know for 2020-21 https://www.CDC.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2020-2021.htm

How Many Health Care Workers Got Vaccinated Last Season?

Quote

2018-19 flu vaccination coverage among health care personnel (HCP) was 81.1%, similar to coverage during the past four seasons (77.3% -79.0%).

By occupation, flu vaccination coverage was highest among physicians (96.7%), nurses (98.1%), pharmacists (91.5%), and nurse practitioners and physician assistants (91.0%)

Flu vaccination coverage was lowest among other clinical health care personnel (85.8%), assistants and aides (72.5%), and nonclinical health care personnel (75.5%).

By work setting, flu vaccination coverage was highest among HCP working in hospitals (95.2%).

Flu vaccination coverage continues to be lower among HCP working in long-term care (LTC) settings (67.9%) compared with those working in hospitals and ambulatory settings and physician offices (79.8%).

Vaccination coverage was highest (97.7%) among health care personnel working in settings where vaccination was required....

https://www.CDC.gov/flu/professionals/healthcareworkers.htm

[hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I]

Flu vaccines are pretty much mandatory for healthcare workers in California!

[JKL33]

9 hours ago, MeganMN said:

Do you think that the push for the Influenza vaccine in lieu of the Covid pandemic is going to result in hospitals mandating influenza vaccines? do you think it is a segway to mandating the Covid vaccine? What are your thoughts?

It is mostly mandatory to receive the influenza vaccine to work in many of the hospitals in the U.S. already.

Hard to say how they will handle covid vaccine when it first becomes available. My guess would be that they might be reluctant to make it mandatory right at the immediate outset....but maybe in the future. Anyone's guess.