Maryland’s largest hospitals and health systems, including University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins Medicine, will require employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment by the end of the summer, setting the stage for immunization requirements at all other state businesses, workplaces and institutions.
Some other area medical centers and hospitals also said they would mandate it but not set deadlines until the vaccines win full federal approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Mohan Suntha, president and CEO of the University of Maryland hospital system, said officials feel confident in the safety and efficacy of the shots, now six months into the launch of the vaccination campaign in the state and around the country.
“We believe in the science, and we trust the data behind the vaccine development,” Suntha said. “We understand vaccination provides the single biggest opportunity to lead ourselves and society out of the pandemic.”