A hospital patient with has not had the COVID vaccine and has no intention of getting vaccinated, was denied a heart transplant. The Boston hospital defended itself explaining that most hospitals around the country have similar vaccine requirements to improve the patients chance of survival.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital declined to comment on the patient’s case, citing patient privacy laws. But it pointed to a response that it posted on its website in which it said the Covid-19 vaccine is one of several immunizations required by most U.S. transplant programs, including a flu shot and hepatitis B vaccines.
The family of the patient is turning this into a political issue to raise money on GoFundMe. They have raised $77,000 as of January 27, 2022.
The hospital said research has shown that transplant recipients are at higher risk than non-transplant patients of dying from Covid-19, and that its policies are in line with the recommendations of the American Society of Transplantation and other health organizations. There is a scarcity of donor organs, so transplant centers only place patients on the waiting list whom they deem the most likely to survive with a new organ. “Given the shortage of available organs, we do everything we can to ensure that a patient who receives a transplanted organ has the greatest chance of survival,” the hospital said.