New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
700 Yale New Haven workers still need shots
One-dose vaccine offered; deadline Sept. 30
NEW HAVEN — With 10 days to go before the Sept. 30 deadline, “a hair over 700” Yale New Haven Health employees have yet to receive a mandated COVID-19 vaccine, according to Dr. Thomas Balcezak, chief clinical officer for the health system.
During an online press briefing Tuesday, Balcezak said Yale New Haven is offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires just one dose.
The health system announced June 30 that all
its nearly 30,000 employees, including casual staff, must be fully vaccinated or have a medical or religious exemption before Oct. 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year, or leave the health system.
CEO Marna Borgstrom said, “Most people of whom I am aware are making the decision that they will resign at the end of this month if they have chosen not to be vaccinated.” She said at least two employees are close to retirement.
Borgstrom said she expects many of those who have yet to receive a vaccine will do so by the deadline.
“We’ve done everything possible in my opinion to do this the right way and as humanely as possible, not only for our patients and their loved ones but also for our valued colleagues, and I think the number of people who end up exiting the organization is going to be relatively small,” Borgstrom said.
“This is an organization, a health system, that has done everything in its power in the entire time that I have been with this organization … has avoided layoffs and terminating people, except for performance issues,” she said.
“We believe strongly that the greatest asset we have in the system is our workforce. … So this is a really painful thing to do, and we didn’t arrive at this decision to mandate the vaccine lightly or easily because we respect and know that there are some people whose minds we won’t change regardless of what we view as the facts and the right thing to do,” she said. “But I think in this case our view is that the safety of our patients and their loved ones is paramount.”
Borgstrom said that as of Tuesday there were 74 patients with COVID in the health system, “which is a decrease of 45 percent in the last two weeks.” Of those, 26 are in intensive care and 22 are on ventilators. She said two-thirds of the COVID patients are unvaccinated.
Balcezak said many of the breakthrough cases are asymptomatic people who were admitted to the hospital “for other reasons — car accidents, surgeries, other illnesses,” but who tested positive. “It’s more like about 10 percent of the patients that are admitted for COVID represent the breakthrough cases,” he said.
As of Tuesday, there were 41 COVID-positive patients at Yale New Haven Hospital, 21 at Bridgeport Hospital, three at Greenwich Hospital, six at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital in New London and three at Westerly Hospital in Rhode Island, Borgstrom said.
Balcezak said the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation was a site in the clinical trial for Pfizer’s vaccine ages 5 and older, which has been submitted for approval.
He also said the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will review the authorization for Pfizer vaccine boosters for those 65 and up later this week. The committee recommends what rules the CDC will create. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration will take up its recommending committee’s approval of those boosters.
“There’s two important yet distinct approvals that need to take place,” by the FDA and the CDC, Balcezak said. “If both of those things happen, and they could happen by Friday, then we will be facing very rapid rollout for those over 65, for Pfizer only.” He said Moderna has submitted its data to the FDA, and Johnson & Johnson plans to, as well.
“We should see some resolution, clarity, on what’s going to happen with regard to boosters, at least for Pfizer, by the end of this week,” he said. “Should there be a green light in order to provide boosters … we’ll be ready to do that.”
Balcezak said “third doses for those who are immunocompromised” are being offered as part of a modified emergency use authorization granted by the FDA. He said only about 20,000 people in Connecticut have received those third doses of about 100,000 people “that probably are eligible.”
Balcezak said because of breakthrough cases, “just being vaccinated simply is not enough” and wearing masks “is still appropriate,” especially indoors. He said appointments for vaccinations and testing are readily available, neither of which comes with out-of-pocket expenses.