All state employees and workers at hospitals and health care facilities across the state will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and those who are unable or refuse to receive the vaccine will be required to be tested weekly.
Vaccine verification for state employees is expected to start as early as next week, and the system will be implemented over the coming weeks. Compliance for all healthcare settings, both public and private, will be expected by Aug. 23 across the state. California is the first state to implement such a policy.
When asked about this new policy for healthcare workers, UAPD President Stuart Bussey gave a firm response: “Be responsible and “Do No Harm”. That’s the Hippocratic Oath. I think if you don’t get vaccinated you could possibly do harm”
The policy falls short of a vaccine mandate, but instead offers employees the option of undergoing regular COVID testing instead of requiring proof of vaccination.
The new policy comes as new infections, hospitalizations, and deaths are surging nationwide, mostly among people who are not vaccinated. California leads the nation in vaccinations, with more than 44 million doses administered and 75% of the eligible population having received at least one dose, but is also seeing an influx of patients coming severely ill and dying due to the more contagious Delta variant. State officials say California is now approaching 3,000 hospitalizations, not even a month after that number was under 900 in June.