Another California County Mandates Flu Shots for Chiropractors
CLICK HERE for the Tehama County Story
The Shasta County ORDER mandates influenza vaccination of health care workers during the 2020/2021 influenza season. The order dated September 17, 2020 applies to:
Hospitals, Ambulatory and Community Clinics, Medical Practices, Skilled Nursing and other Long-Term Care Facilities, Dentist Offices, Chiropractic Offices, Physical Therapy Practices, and other Health Care Facilities
The ORDER reads:
Pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 120175:
- Each and every health care facility in Tehama County is hereby ORDERED to implement a program requiring all health care workers providing services at the facility to receive an annual influenza vaccination.
- Every health care facility shall promptly provide a copy of this Order to each healthcare worker providing services at the facility and shall further post a copy of this Order in a prominent and accessible location in the facility for the duration of the 2020/2021 influenza season.
Further justification for the mandate is given in the reasons for the order where it blames COVID-19 stating:
During the COVID-19 pandemic it remains a top priority for HCWs to be vaccinated. The overlap in symptoms of these diseases accompanied by the lack of effective treatment for COVID- 19 requires additional public health intervention to prevent illness and alleviate stress on our health care system.
This mandate requires influenza vaccination for all HCWs who are unable to provide an accepted medical exemption signed by an MD or DO.
According to the Shasta Order compliance is mandatory with potential criminal charges for non-compliance:
Compliance with this Order is mandatory for all health care facilities in the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Tehama County. violation may result in civil enforcement or criminal penalties under Division 105 and/or Division 112 of the Health and Safety Code.
Shasta's Order states this in regards to the efficacy of the flu vaccine:
In the 2019-20 season, influenza vaccine was effective against 37% of influenza A (H1N1) and 50% of influenza B strains. Data was insufficient to assess vaccine efficacy against influenza A (H3N2) strains.
Unlike the Order in Tehuma County, Shasta does not require health care workers who receive their influenza vaccination after November 1st to wear a mask for two weeks after their immunization while antibodies develop in the body.
According to publicly available data at least 37 Counties in California have been mandating the flu vaccine for health care workers over the past several years. However, those previous orders have given health care workers the option of declining and if so, to wear a mask for the duration of the influenza season when working in patient care areas. Further, chiropractors have not been previously listed in the orders.
The 2020 Orders from Shasta and Tehuma County appear to have taken things a step further by removing the mask option and specifically adding chiropractors to the Orders.
Whether the revisions will spread to other California counties and how it will be enforced remains to be seen but it is clearly heading in the direction of mandatory COVID shots for health care workers, including chiropractors, once one is available.
Blogs
- The Chiropractic Cartel: A Look Back at Bias in Accreditation and its Imact on Today's Profession
- Inside Montana's Chiropractic Monopoly: ACA & MCA's Brazen Board Takeover
- Concerns Grow About Control of the NY State Chiropractic Board by the ACA - Use of X-ray in NY Under Threat
- Mark Bronson's Conflicted Role in NBCE’s Pilot Exam: Magical Thinking and Hidden Agendas
- How One Consent Mistake Exposed a Chiropractor to Serious Risk and How to Avoid it