University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey is mandating Covid booster shots for employees who got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“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,” President and CEO of the hospital Dr. Shereef Elnahal said in a statement.
News Observer reported:
As many businesses across the U.S. mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees, will COVID-19 booster shots soon be required as well for some workers?
At least in a hospital in Newark, New Jersey, that is now the case for certain employees.
University Hospital in Newark is believed to be the first in the state to implement a COVID-19 vaccine booster mandate for employees who got the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot, according to a hospital representative.
The new requirement, announced Oct. 27, comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and FDA’s authorization of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots for targeted American populations.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky last Friday said the US may change its definition of “fully vaccinated” as booster shots become available for everybody.
“We have not yet changed the definition of ‘fully vaccinated.’ We will continue to look at this. We may need to update our definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ in the future,” Walensky said during a press briefing last week.
