• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
Podcast
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Article

Is this the end of the road for vaccine mandates in healthcare?

February 4, 2022
in Article
0

The UK government recently announced a dramatic U-turn on the COVID vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, originally scheduled to take effect on April 1 2022. Health or social care staff will no longer need to provide proof of vaccination to stay employed. The reason, as health secretary Sajid Javid made clear, is that “it is no longer proportionate”.

There are several reasons why it was the right decision at this point to scrap the mandate. Most notably, omicron causes less severe disease than other coronavirus variants; many healthcare workers have already had the virus (potentially giving them immunity equivalent to the vaccine); vaccines are not as effective at preventing re-infection and transmission of omicron; and less restrictive alternatives are available (such as personal protective equipment and lateral flow testing of staff).

But the question remains: what does this imply for vaccine mandates more generally? In a Twitter thread, former UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt has expressed concerns that the U-turn will make it harder to implement vaccine mandates in the future. This might be true politically, but ethically, it doesn’t follow. Indeed, this provides an opportunity to reflect on when such mandates are ethically justifiable – or even required.

The ethical principle that justifies some forms of mandatory vaccination of health professionals remains: healthcare professionals have a fundamental duty to minimise the risk of harm to patients. This includes taking reasonable steps to protect patients from infection. The General Medical Council and the Royal College of Nursing have previously made it clear that unless they have a medical reason, doctors and nurses have a duty to have vaccines against serious communicable diseases. It is, arguably, required by the Hippocratic oath.

When would a mandate be ethical?

At least four factors are relevant when considering whether it’s justifiable to make vaccines mandatory for healthcare workers.

  1. Will the mandate increase vaccine uptake?
  2. Will the mandate reduce infection in hospitals and clinics?
  3. Are the health benefits for patients proportionate to the risks for healthcare workers?
  4. Are less restrictive policies available that can achieve similar outcomes?

With omicron as the dominant variant, a mandate would not satisfy those conditions. But mandates for other vaccines might well do.

Take the flu, for instance. Most people aren’t aware of the risk of catching the flu in a hospital. However, COVID has made the problem of hospital-acquired infections more evident. During the first wave of the pandemic in 2020, up to a quarter of COVID hospitalisations may have been caught in hospital. Up to a third of COVID deaths in Scotland in 2020 were considered “definitive hospital onset”.

A similar problem occurs with flu. For example, during the 2018-19 flu season, 15% of patients hospitalised with the flu at London University College hospitals were estimated to have caught it in hospital. Hospital-acquired flu infection is associated with high mortality – with about 27% of cases being fatal. And the uptake of the flu vaccine among healthcare workers is patchy. In the last winter season (2020-21), around a quarter of frontline healthcare workers in England hadn’t had the flu jab. Some NHS Trusts had only around 50% uptake.

For the flu vaccine, mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers is much more effective than less restrictive alternatives (condition four), at increasing vaccine uptake (condition one), and at reducing hospital transmission (condition two).

It has also been shown to reduce overall deaths from pneumonia and flu and it is effective at reducing staff absenteeism due to illness. Importantly, the flu vaccines have been extensively researched over decades and there is a high degree of confidence about their safety. This makes even a small marginal benefit resulting from a vaccine mandate worth the mandate for healthcare workers (condition three).

There is a strong ethical case that those who work in the health and social care sector should be required to have the seasonal flu vaccine as a condition of employment. If a new, more serious – but vaccine-preventable – variant of SARS-CoV-2 were to emerge, that might also apply.

One reason provided for the U-turn on COVID vaccines is the fear of critical staff shortages. But that would not necessarily apply if staffing problems in the NHS are addressed. In the US, large hospitals that have mandated flu vaccination have not had significant staff losses as a result.

Ethical principles are not relative, but what course of action they prescribe depends on the circumstances and the facts. While the U-turn on the COVID vaccine mandate was ethically justified, we shouldn’t rule out mandates altogether.

The Conversation

Dominic Wilkinson receives funding from the Wellcome Trust. This work was supported by the UKRI/ AHRC funded UK Ethics Accelerator project, grant number AH/V013947/1.’ The UK Ethics Accelerator project can be found at https://ukpandemicethics.org/

Alberto Giubilini receives funding from Wellcome Trust

Julian Savulescu He is a Bioethics Committee consultant for Bayer. He receives funding from the Wellcome Trust. He is a Partner Investigator on an Australian Research Council Linkage award (LP190100841, Oct 2020-2023) which involves industry partnership from Illumina. He does not personally receive any funds from Illumina.

ShareTweetSharePin
Previous Post

Heading into the third year of the pandemic, the US blood supply is at a 10-year low

Next Post

‘Hangxiety’: why some people experience anxiety during a hangover

Next Post
‘Hangxiety’: why some people experience anxiety during a hangover

'Hangxiety': why some people experience anxiety during a hangover

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

Heart disease risk from saturated fats may depend on what foods they come from – new research

November 29, 2021
Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

Late night eating may cause greater weight gain – new research points to why

October 12, 2022

10 Things I Learned During My Body Transformation

October 12, 2021

7 Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

October 12, 2021
Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

Nobel prize: how chilli peppers helped researchers uncover how humans feel pain

October 12, 2021
How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

How air filters can make COVID wards safer for patients and staff

December 1, 2021
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022
Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Why suicide prevention support is crucial for people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

September 28, 2022
Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

Too hot to handle: Climate considerations for youth sport during the hottest years on record

July 19, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS