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The Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) has released a clarification that EMS personnel are not covered by the vaccination mandate health order released by the California Department of Public Health on Aug. 5.
As a reminder, that order requires all workers in specific health facilities, including general acute care hospitals and acute psychiatric hospitals, have their first dose on a one-dose COVID-19 vaccination regimen or their second dose of a two-dose regimen by Sept. 30, 2021.
EMS personnel are not explicitly covered in this Aug. 5 order. This Aug. 9 memo from EMSA Director Dave Duncan, MD, confirms that the health order does not address the EMS workforce and strongly encourages all EMS personnel who have not yet been vaccinated to voluntarily do so.