WA Hospitals Show Strong Vaccination Rates Among Staffers

SEATTLE — With just under two weeks until Washington's deadline for state employees and health care workers to reach full vaccination status, many Puget Sound hospital systems are showing strong rates of compliance among staffers. Leading the pack is UW Medicine, whose facilities include Harborview Medical Center. The hospital system announced Tuesday that more than 97 percent of its staff and faculty were fully vaccinated.

Monday was the last day to receive a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna or a single dose of Johnson & Johnson in time for the deadline.

"Our health care workers have worked endlessly and tirelessly this last 18 months supporting our community and taking care of patients across the state and our broader five-state community," said Lisa Brandenburg, president of UW Medicine Hospitals & Clinics. "I am incredibly thankful to them for the work that they've done, and I'm incredibly proud to be part of that team here at UW Medicine."

Brandenburg estimated 300 UW Medicine employees sought medical or religious vaccine exemptions, with roughly a third of the requests granted.

"In those areas where we may lose staff, we have plans in place to mitigate those staffing challenges, and of course we'll know more as the situation continues to evolve and the deadline passes," Brandenberg said.

In their weekly briefing Monday, the Washington State Hospital Association said it was undertaking a full survey of the state's health care workers and planned to provide a broader picture of statewide vaccination rates by Monday, Oct. 11.

According to the Seattle Times, at least two other Washington hospital systems have seen robust compliance with the vaccine mandate, including 92 percent of the workforce at Swedish Health Services and around 90 percent within the Multicare Health System.

Next Monday, Washington's Office of Financial Management will also provide updated numbers on how many state employees are meeting the deadline, along with how many were granted exemptions. Per the state's last update, measured through Sept. 20, overall compliance was near 70 percent.