CAP Supports Vaccine Requirements for Physicians and Other Health Care Professionals Caring for Patients

The Cancer Leadership Council and College of American Pathologists call for health professionals to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Cancer Leadership Council are encouraging all health care workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The member organizations of the Cancer Leadership Council, which includes the CAP, issued a statement on August 18 calling on all health professionals to be fully inoculated against COVID-19. The CAP further supports pathologists and laboratories who develop policies requiring physicians and other laboratory personnel to be vaccinated providing reasonable exceptions for medical reasons or those identified in applicable federal or state laws.

“The College of American Pathologists strongly urges pathologists, laboratory personnel, and all other health care professionals to get the COVID-19 vaccine to protect the patients we serve,” said CAP President Patrick Godbey, MD, FCAP. “Health care workers are on the frontline in the fight against this pandemic and bear increased risk of getting COVID-19. As leaders in the medical community, all physicians and nonphysician practitioners should consider the consequences of their vaccination decision. It involves more than just your health but the health of the public at large. The COVID-19 vaccine is the best tool we have to safeguard the most vulnerable patients in our communities.”

Recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies show that 95% of overall COVID-19 hospitalizations are among those not fully vaccinated. The federal government is providing vaccines to anyone in the United States for free. Currently, individuals ages 12 and over are eligible for the vaccine. For more information, visit the website Vaccines.gov.

About the College of American Pathologists

As the world’s largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. As a 501(c)(6) membership organization, the CAP is the only entity representing pathologists with unrestricted advocacy capability and a political action committee, PathPAC. For more information, visit yourpathologist.org to watch pathologists at work and see the stories of the patients who trust them with their care. Read the CAP Annual Report.