Vaccination Is Our Best Chance to End the Pandemic

We are once again at a pivotal moment in this pandemic. Hospitalizations are at the highest rate since last November. Just a few months ago, it seemed that we were in the final mile, but the current surge has pushed the finish line farther out.?

But unlike last November, this time, we have the tools to stop the surge - to prevent people from getting sick in the first place. The overwhelming majority -- more than 90% -- of COVID cases requiring hospitalization are people who did not get vaccinated.??

Vaccination is the way out of this pandemic.?

The good news? 75 percent of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of the vaccine. However, we know from our epidemiologists and what we are seeing in our communities that 75% partly vaccinated is not enough to stop COVID-19, especially when we only have vaccines for those 12 and older. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, 252,000 pediatric cases were reported in the U.S. for the week ending September 2 with children accounting for nearly 27 percent of cases.

The data is clear - the vaccine is safe and effective and mask-wearing works. Yet, there is an unhealthy debate that is costing lives - more than 4.5 million deaths globally from COVID-19 and more than 656,000 in the U.S.

That’s why we fully support the administration’s recent executive orders and other actions that would require vaccination for around 100 million workers, including those in a health care setting. We commend the administration for taking this bold step that will help ensure we are all safer and bring us closer to the end of this pandemic.?

Working with the White House, CommonSpirit Health recently led an effort with health care systems around the country to promote vaccination to patients at multiple touch points in our clinical settings. Earlier this summer, we also required our 150,000 employees across 21 states to be vaccinated. This decision aligned with our organization’s mission of caring for and protecting the most vulnerable, while reenforcing our commitment to provide safe care for our patients and a safe work environment for our clinicians and staff. We have a moral obligation to protect our caregivers, our communities and the patients we are blessed to serve.

We support any effort that leads to vaccination, increases testing and makes our communities safer because that is the only way we will slow the spread of COVID-19 and end this pandemic. We must unite and do the right thing - for our country and each other.?

Please talk to your friends, family, and colleagues and urge them to get their shots. They can text their zip code to 438829 or GETVAX or search vaccines.gov for the nearest locations offering the free COVID-19 vaccines. Together, we can do this.?