REMINDER - COVID-19 Vaccine Due Today!!!!!

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

LICENSEES MUST BE VACCINATED BY SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Dear Health Care Workers,

On Monday, August 16, 2021, the District of Columbia Department of Health (DC Health) announced a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all licensed, certified, and registered health professionals as well as all unlicensed health care workers in the District of Columbia.

On August 27, 2021, emergency regulations were issued by DC Health further clarifying this requirement.  Specifically, all licensed, certified, and registered health professionals and all unlicensed health care workers must fulfill the requirement to receive at least one (1) dose of a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (i.e., Moderna or Pfizer) or the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine no later than September 30, 2021.  Failure to meet this requirement can result in disciplinary action including suspension and/or revocation of a health professional’s license, certification, or registration.  Unlicensed individuals may also be subject to enforcement action(s).  A copy of the relevant regulations can be found online HERE.

To assist in this process, DC Health has created an online vaccine reporting tool which can be accessed by going to https://doh.force.com/ver/s/vaccinereporting.  All licensed and unlicensed health care workers must report their vaccine status via this online tool.  Individuals who meet the requirements for an exemption to the vaccine mandate will also be able to submit a request for an exemption via this tool.  To obtain an exemption, individuals must meet one of the following requirements:

1. Religious Exemption

The person objects in good faith and in writing that the person’s vaccination against COVID-19 would violate a sincerely held religious belief and the vaccination would in fact violate a sincerely held religious belief of the person.

For religious exemptions, individuals will need to submit a letter, stating that their vaccination against COVID-19 would violate a sincerely held religious belief and the vaccination would in fact violate a sincerely held religious belief of the person.

2. Medical Exemption

The person has obtained and submitted written certification from a physician, or other licensed health professional who may order an immunization, that being vaccinated against COVID-19 is medically inadvisable due to the person’s medical condition and it is in fact medically inadvisable for the person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine due to the person’s medical condition.  If the condition making the vaccine medically inadvisable is temporary, the physician or other licensed health professional should specify in the certification the date on which, or the change in condition upon which, taking the vaccine would no longer be medically inadvisable.

For medical exemption requests, individuals will need to provide the name and license number of the health care provider who issued the medical exemption, and then submit a written letter from that licensed health care provider stating that being vaccinated against COVID-19 is medically inadvisable due to the person’s medical condition and it is in fact medically inadvisable for the person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. 

3. World Health Organization (W.H.O.) Exemption

The person was vaccinated outside the United States with a COVID-19 vaccine approved by the World Health Organization.  

For the W.H.O. exemption, individuals will need to submit proof of vaccination of a W.H.O. approved vaccine and provide dates of vaccination.

All exemption requests will be reviewed to determine if the applicable criteria has been met, and a response either approving or denying the request will be issued by DC Health within 45 – 60 business days.  Please note, a requested exemption is not valid unless it is approved by DC Health.