A federal judge has ruled that a hospital may not force its employees to get flu shots, despite the public health implications of their refusal. Seattle's Virginia Mason Medical Center, a 336-bed facility that employs roughly 5,000 people, had ordered all employees to receive flu shots by January 1. The Washington State Nurses Association filed a grievance, seeking to block the requirement as a condition of employment. The CDC recommends that all healthcare workers receive priority vaccination to help prevent the spread of influenza.
- see this article from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer