Medical groups urge mandatory vaccinations for all U.S. health care workers

All U.S. health care workers should be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a joint statement Monday by a slew of major medical groups that argued the health and safety of the nation depends on such mandates to reign in a pandemic that has killed nearly 611,000 Americans. 

Noting the pandemic's recent resurgence through super-contagious variants and the availability of "safe and effective vaccines," all medical workers have an ethical commitment to put their patients first, nearly 60 organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nursing Association, said in the joint statement. "We stand with the growing number of experts and institutions that support the requirement for universal vaccination of health workers," they said. A separate appeal came last week by the American Hospital Association, the country's biggest hospital group.