San Francisco updates well being order, mandates employees in high-risk settings be vaccinated by September 15
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) – San Francisco has one of the highest vaccination rates in the country with 75 percent of the population being fully vaccinated
But as the Delta variant becomes the predominant strain across the state, San Francisco is updating its health policy for those in high-risk workplaces.
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“Accelerates and expedites our schedule for staff vaccination in some of our high risk areas. In our qualified care facilities, our residences for the elderly, in our acute hospitals, our prisons, our accommodations, ”said Dr. Susan Philip, Acting San Francisco Health Officer.
Initially, San Francisco ordered that city workers in high-risk workplaces get vaccinated once the vaccines were fully approved by the FDA. Now they have updated the health regulations for people in high-risk environments to be vaccinated by September 15th.
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“We expect the vaccines to be fully approved by September 15th, but we didn’t want to wait either,” said Dr. Philip.
The deputy sheriffs of San Francisco work with inmates in prisons. Kenneth Lomba, President of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association, responded to this order:
“The San Francisco deputy sheriffs are the most ethnically diverse law enforcement agency in SF. Our African American and Hispanic members do not want to be forced to be vaccinated against minorities due to the past of vaccine abuse. The SFDSA values and respects the right to vote. We already have protection options with face masks and tests. Enforcing vaccines is of no value in San Francisco. “
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These workplaces must keep records of the vaccination status of employees and make these available to the city health department on request. On page 11, the exceptions for religious or qualifying medical reasons are listed.
“If you refuse to be fully vaccinated, you will not be able to do certain jobs, and certainly not when it comes to caring for and maintaining close contact with patients. I don’t see how you can safely do this job and say you really care about your patients, “said Dr. Chris Colwell, director of emergency medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
Dr. Colwell says about 94 percent of hospital staff are vaccinated.
Luz: “At SF General, around 6 percent of the healthcare workers are still unvaccinated. What are their concerns?”
Dr. Colwell: “Questions about the long-term and short-term effects, what exactly will happen and what will be put in my arm when I get the vaccine. Very sensible questions.”
Dr. Colwell and colleagues hold a vaccine briefing to get the last percent.
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