If you learn or work at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, you've got two options: get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or wear an N95 mask at all times on campus grounds. Beginning next Monday, the center's new policy will be phased in over three months with the deadline of Nov. 1.
Dr. Alan Jones is associate vice chancellor for clinical affairs and COVID-19 clinical response leader. At a press event last week, he said they're concerned about the surge in new coronavirus cases in Mississippi.
"We're at the highest point now than we have been in months," said Jones.
"Doubled in the last week in our in-patient census. We've got more pediatric patients in the hospital than probably we've had through the pandemic. So, that just emphasizes to us that we really have to take a strong stand for our patients, for the state and be a leader in this."
Provisions in the new policy call for required booster shots if the CDC recommends it. And, once the COVID-19 vaccines reach FDA approval status, vaccines will become mandatory for future enrollment and employment.
Dr. Lou Ann Woodward is vice chancellor for health affairs and dean of the School of Medicine. She says they're expecting mixed reactions to the new policy.
"We acknowledge that this is not going to be a popular decision with all of our employees and the last thing that we want to do is to lose employees over this," said Woodward.
"We still have internally a nursing shortage in many of our clinical areas. So, the heaviest part of this is knowing that some of our own will feel unhappy about this but at the end of the day our obligation is to the patients."
Woodward says UMMC is held to a higher standard as the state’s only academic medical center.
