MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — WVU Medicine’s deadline for employees to get vaccinated for the coronavirus has been moved to Jan. 21, 2022 because of the new state law regarding exemptions to vaccine mandates in addition to pending federal guidelines.
Photo/WVU Medicine
Albert Wright, WVU Medicine’s president and CEO, said the West Virginia Legislature’s action to allow exemptions for medical and religious reasons was a significant factor in the decision. The law will take effect next January and will enable workers to decline the vaccine by using documentation from a medical professional or notarized proof of religious beliefs.
WVU Medicine officials announced the system’s policy in August, and it is based on federal law and the West Virginia Human Rights Act, which already includes medical and religious exemptions.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are working on guidelines that will require hospitals, nursing homes and health care providers with at least 100 employees to make vaccination mandatory. Around 95% of WVU Medicine employees are vaccinated.
WVU Medicine has 16 hospitals in West Virginia with thousands of workers.
Mon Health Systems has not made a similar announcement. Its vaccine deadline remains Oct. 31.