CAMC employees will be fired if they don't get vaccinated,

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CAMC employees will be fired if they don't get vaccinated, USA

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Flu fascism in West Virginia: Employees will be fired if they don't get vaccinated.Charleston Area Medical Center employees must get seasonal flu shots this year or risk losing their jobs.

All CAMC Health System workers must get vaccinated by Dec. 15 or their employment will be terminated, CAMC said in its August newsletter Vital Signs.

"The strongest recommendation that's out there is to take the vaccine every year," CAMC Director of Epidemiology Terrie Lee said Tuesday. "Our board of trustees and administrators had been discussing this for a couple years. We decided this year to make it a mandatory process for all of our employees."

Employees may submit a request for accommodation due to health reasons, such as allergies to a component of the flu vaccine. They have until Sept. 15 to do so, and if requests are confirmed, those employees would have to wear a mask over their nose and mouth while at work during flu season, the newsletter said.

"That's interesting," Dr. Rahul Gupta, health officer and executive director of the Kanawha-Charleston Health Department, said when asked about CAMC's new policy. "Health care employees are very essential to any flu response efforts."

From a public health standpoint it is a positive step, Gupta said, adding he was curious to see if other hospitals follow CAMC's lead.source