Opinion: COVID vaccination for healthcare workers under 65 will protect patients, keep ORs staffed

Editor's Note

In an opinion piece published by STAT on October 30, authors Judy Stone, MD, retired infectious disease physician, medical journalist, and author, and Judith Feinberg, MD, professor of medicine/infectious disease and professor of behavioral medicine and psychiatry at the West Virginia University School of Medicine, argue that new federal guidance limiting COVID-19 vaccination for people under 65 ignores a critical group: healthcare workers who interact with patients every day. The article notes wastewater data suggesting up to one million US infections daily and cites evidence that vaccination reduces infection and transmission, which directly affects patient safety and workforce stability.

As detailed in the article, hospitals and clinics risk care disruptions if under-65 workers remain unvaccinated, especially in rural facilities already strained by Medicaid cuts. The authors report the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), with newly appointed members, declined to authorize vaccines for those under 65. While insurers will cover shots through 2026, future coverage is unclear. Added requirements, such as clinician counseling and state-by-state access variability, create barriers that may depress uptake.

The outlet reports significant recent disease burden: from October 1, 2024, to September 6, 2025, there were an estimated 13.2 to 19.4 million illnesses, 3.2 to 4.6 million outpatient visits, 360,000 to 520,000 hospitalizations, and 42,000 to 60,000 deaths. On infected individuals, 10% to 25% develop long COVID, and nearly one in four affected healthcare workers say symptoms significantly impact their work. Vaccination is reported to lower long COVID risk by about 27%. The article also cites a roughly 21% death rate for hospital-acquired COVID, highlighting risks to immunocompromised patients.

The authors call for ACIP to endorse vaccination for all healthcare workers under 65 and for facilities to require COVID shots similar to flu programs. They also urge a return to layered controls, including masking and air filtration, and suggest free vaccination for other public-facing workers, arguing that prevention is less costly than hospitalization.