COLUMBUS – Ohio was one four states where at least 10 hospitals were cited for COVID-19 vaccination deficiencies.
A year has gone by since the federal government began enforcing a requirement in all states that health care workers be vaccinated against COVID-19.
In that time, inspectors have cited about 750 nursing homes and 110 hospitals for violations of the vaccination mandate, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data.
In addition to Ohio, at least 10 hospitals in Michigan, Virginia and Wisconsin received citations.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which issued the mandate, says it has helped prevent countless infections and deaths.
Yet some health care workers say it’s time for the mandate to come to an end. They cite a decline in severe COVID-19 cases, a workforce shortage in certain health care professions and the upcoming expiration of the national public health emergency, among other factors.
Most of those receiving citations were given a bureaucratic nudge to do better — though some nursing homes were fined, especially when they also had other problems.
Some nursing home administrators say the vaccine mandate has made it harder for them to fully staff their facilities. They want the mandate to be repealed.
But some public health experts say it is still protecting patients and staff.