University of Rochester Medical Center to require COVID-19 vaccination for patients on organ donor waiting list

Rochester, New York — University of Rochester Medical Center officials announced that prospective transplant recipients will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to remain active on a waiting list.

The new policy for URMC will go into effect on January 18, 2022.

According to officials, patients not vaccinated by then will be put on “formal hold” until they receive the vaccine, or until levels of COVID-19 in the community “make it safe to transplant unvaccinated patients.”

Those who await transplants or are transplant recipients face a 10-times higher chance of dying from the coronavirus compared to the general population, according to URMC.

According to URMC officials, other transplant centers, like the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Colorado, require vaccination as well.

This policy is in line with the stance of the American Society of Transplantation.