02 Feb HEALTHCARE WORKERS TO GET COVID-19 BOOSTERS
Healthcare facilities in California are instructed to put strict measures to eligible travelling nurses’ workers in regards to having the Covid-19 boosters.
Although different facilities have different deadlines, it is confirmed that if the nurse doesn’t have a booster by the facility specific deadline, or by the time they become booster eligible (usually 6 months after the second dose) then the assignments can be terminated.
Recently, the State of California recently issued a mandate that, if eligible, all healthcare workers must receive a COVID-19 booster shot by February 1, 2022. If a worker is currently booster eligible, or becomes eligible anytime between now and February 1, 2022, they must get tested for COVID twice weekly from the time they’re eligible until the February 1 booster deadline or until they receive their booster (whichever comes first). Should a worker not be booster eligible by February 1, 2022, they must receive the booster within 15 days of becoming booster eligible or they will be subject to twice weekly testing.
WHY A COVID-19 BOOSTER FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS?
Working as a travel nurse enhances exposure to a wider community. This is risky especially with the Covid-19 disease, thus, a booster is needed when a person’s level of immunity has decreased over time. Booster doses are very common and are a normal part of most vaccine series.
Vaccines often become less effective overtime and thus getting another shot several months after the first round, called a “booster shot,” can help supercharge the vaccine’s effectiveness. Thus, most people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus are relatively well-protected from serious illness and death from COVID-19.
An early research on vaccines that use mRNA to protect you from the coronavirus, like those from Pfizer and Moderna, shows that they may eventually lose some of power against infection and serious illness.
According to the health research by the NBC News, it states that the effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid vaccine fades overtime. The study, which hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed or published in a medical journal, found that the vaccine was 97 percent effective at preventing severe disease from Covid-19 for at least six months — but the effectiveness against any symptomatic illness fell from 96 percent to 84 percent in the same period, falling by about 6 percent every two months.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both recommend getting a COVID-19 booster shot if you’re eligible.
In travel nursing, a booster is required as a verification to start nursing assignment at healthcare facilities in California.
For the Covid-19 Booster travel nurse verification, recruiters given tips below:
1. Upload the most recent copy with your worker’s booster in connect.
2. If you have workers who are eligible and haven’t received their booster shot, please ask them to make a booster shot appointment as soon as possible. If the booster is not available at the facility in which they are working, they can visit myturn.ca.gov to search for appointments near them.
a. Healthcare workers who are working in a healthcare facility and have not received their booster will be required to test twice per week starting immediately.
b. Upload their booster to Connect ASAP when complete.
3. Time spent obtaining the booster or testing is not billable time to the client. If that changes, we will let you know.
In conclusion, it is proved booster doses went through the same thorough scientific review process as the initial vaccine series, with trial data from all over the world being reviewed and considered when making a recommendation. The vaccines, including booster doses, are proven safe.
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