Columbus Public Health to Require COVID-19 Vaccination for All Employees
September 7,
2021
Following the Food and Drug Administration’s full approval
of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, Columbus Public Health will join all four
central Ohio hospital systems and many other local and national employers in
requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for all of its employees, many of whom are
frontline healthcare workers.
Columbus Public Health will
require all of its employees to be vaccinated by November 1, 2021 with any of
the three available COVID-19 vaccines, provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination,
or provide an exemption due to medical reasons or sincerely held religious
beliefs, practices or observances.
“As the delta variant continues to surge and we prepare to
administer booster vaccines in our community, this vaccine requirement will
help protect our workforce and the people we serve from COVID-19 which is
spreading like wildfire here and across the country,” said Health Commissioner
Dr. Mysheika Roberts.
A vaccine requirement is not new for Columbus Public Health
which already requires other vaccines for staff to protect them and the public
it serves. COVID-19 vaccination provides
the strongest protection against employees becoming severely ill from COVID-19
and helps prevent them from spreading it to clients, patients, peers, or the
general public.
“More than 374 million doses of vaccines have been given
safely in the U.S., and full FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine gives us even
more confidence in the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine. The
vaccine remains the best tool we have for protecting health and preventing
serious illness and hospitalization from this highly contagious virus. As
public health workers, we must help lead the way,” Dr. Roberts added.
For
more information on COVID-19 vaccines or to find a vaccine location near you,
visit Columbus.gov/c19vax or call 614-645-1519.
###