Colorado Hospital Will Not Conduct Most Transplant Surgeries On Unvaccinated Patients Due to New UCHealth Policy

According to CBS Denver, a Colorado hospital system will not conduct most transplant surgeries on unvaccinated patients. UCHealth reportedly created the policy to protect its patients.

“For transplant patients who contract COVID-19, the mortality rate ranges from about 20% to more than 30%,” UCHealth said in a statement. “This shows the extreme risk that COVID-19 poses to transplant recipients after their surgeries.”

In the United States, the COVID-19 vaccinations are highly effective in preventing sickness. According to a study at Johns Hopkins University, 186 million people in the US have been fully vaccinated, accounting for 56.68 % of the population.

However, UCHealth’s new policy affects some unvaccinated transplant patients in Colorado, although the state’s population is 62.05 % vaccinated.

According to CBS Denver, a woman with stage 5 renal failure was months away from receiving a new kidney but is now looking for a new hospital because she and her donor are not vaccinated.

For religious reasons, Jaimee Fougner, who is donating a kidney to Leilani Lutali, has not received the vaccine. Because there are so many unknowns, Lutali says she hasn’t obtained the immunization. Both women were unaware that immunizations were required before surgery until last week.

“At the end of August, they confirmed that there was no COVID shot needed at that time,” Lutali told CBS Denver. “Fast forward to September 28. That’s when I found out. Jamie learned they have this policy around the COVID shot for both for the donor and the recipient.”

Both women have been given 30 days to obtain their first vaccination, according to UCHealth, which issued them a letter advising them of the vaccine policy. They will be removed from the transplant list if they decline.

“I said I’ll sign a medical waiver. I have to sign a waiver anyway for the transplant itself, releasing them from anything that could possibly go wrong,” Lutali said. “It’s surgery, it’s invasive. I sign a waiver for my life. I’m not sure why I can’t sign a waiver for the COVID shot.”

The goal of the vaccination policy, according to UCHealth, is to protect the health of its patients, and similar policies are in effect at transplant centers across the United States.

Other vaccinations, such as hepatitis B and MMR, are frequently recommended before surgery, according to UCHealth. According to the hospital, such requirements boost the chances of a successful transplant.

According to CBS Denver, the women have been unable to find another Colorado hospital prepared to do the transplant if they are unvaccinated, so they are considering options in other states.