SEATTLE — Almost all of UW Medicine’s organ transplant patients must get the COVID-19 vaccine prior to their transplant surgeries, even if they have a sincerely held religious belief that prevents them from getting the shot.
According to the UW Medicine COVID-19 vaccine page, patients needing surgeries like a kidney transplant must be fully vaccinated or have a “specific medical exception” that prevents them from getting vaccinated.
The page states COVID-19 vaccination is important before a transplant because the immune system is suppressed following the surgery and makes patients more vulnerable to infections like COVID-19.
Additionally, full vaccination is important before the surgery as opposed to after because a suppressed immune system has more trouble responding properly to the vaccine.
While the COVID-19 vaccine wasn’t available until recently, UW Medicine said requiring current vaccinations before transplant surgeries is nothing new.
Patients who refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine will be removed from the transplant waitlist and deemed ineligible to get a transplant through UW Medicine.
The vaccine policy for transplant patients has made waves in other parts of the country. In Colorado, a woman was recently denied a kidney transplant at UCHealth because she wouldn’t get the COVID-19 vaccine.
UCHealth, in a statement to KING 5's sister station 9News in Denver, said in part, “Surgeries may be postponed until patients take all required precautions in order to give them the best chance at positive outcomes.”
Additionally, UCHealth said the mortality rate for unvaccinated transplant recipients who test positive for COVID-19 is roughly "between 20% and 30%," while the general mortality rate for those who test positive is 1.6%.
The patient, Leilani Lutali, said she felt her surgery was hinged on her “freedom of choice being taken away.”
Meanwhile, transplant patients are not only required to be current on all critical vaccinations, according to UW Medicine. Many patients are told to adhere to a specific diet and not consume alcohol or tobacco in order to remain eligible for an organ transplant.