Leading EMS Organizations Support Vaccine Mandate for EMS Clinicians

A droplet falls from a syringe after a health care worker was injected with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Providence, R.I.
FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2020, file photo, a droplet falls from a syringe after a health care worker was injected with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

It is critically important all EMS clinicians – paramedics, EMTs and EMS physicians – be vaccinated against COVID-19, a consortium of EMS medical organizations announced.

See the announcement below from the AAEM, ACOEP, AMPA, APA, NAEMSP and NEMSMA on mandatory vaccine requirements.

Emergency medicine is more than just a ride to the hospital, it is a system of coordinated response and emergency medical care, involving multiple people and agencies. With the current surge in COVID-19 and the highly contagious Delta variant causing a national emergency medical crisis, six of the country’s top associations in the space of emergency medicine services join in the following statement regarding COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

The American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM), the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians (ACOEP), the Air Medical Physician Association (AMPA), the American Paramedic Association (APA), the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP), and the National EMS Management Association (NEMSMA), agree that it is critical for all EMS clinicians including paramedics, EMS physicians, and other emergency medical services providers without a religious or medical exemption, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to slow the spread of the disease and prevent needless deaths of vulnerable persons. EMS personnel are essential workers responsible for the health and safety of our families, patients, and communities. Being vaccinated is a professional ethical obligation.

This statement aligns with a recent statement supporting COVID-19 employer required vaccination mandates for all workers in health and long-term care by a consortium of healthcare organizations.

Related: EMS Lawline: Can Healthcare Workers Be Forced to Receive the Flu Vaccine?

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