Colorado hospital system says it won't perform transplants on unvaccinated patients


The Colorado hospital system UCHealth said in order to protect patients, it is requiring COVID-19 vaccination for transplant recipients and donors "in almost all situations."
"For transplant patients who contract COVID-19, the mortality rate ranges from about 20 percent to more than 30 percent," UCHealth told CBS Denver in a statement. "This shows the extreme risk that COVID-19 poses to transplant recipients after their surgeries." In Colorado, 62.05 percent of residents are vaccinated.
Leilani Lutali has stage 5 renal failure, and met her kidney donor, Jaimee Fougner, at Bible study. Lutali and Fougner are not vaccinated, with Fougner saying she doesn't want to get the vaccine for religious reasons. In September, UCHealth sent them both a letter about the vaccination policy, saying they had 30 days to get their first dose. If they refuse, Lutali and Fougner will be removed from the transplant list.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I said I'll sign a medical waiver," Lutali told CBS Denver. "I have to sign a waiver anyway for the transplant itself, releasing them from anything that could possibly go wrong. It's surgery, it's invasive. I sign a waiver for my life. I'm not sure why I can't sign a waiver for the COVID shot." So far, Lutali and Fougner haven't been able to find any other hospital in Colorado that will perform the transplant while they are unvaccinated.
UCHealth said shots are nothing new for transplant recipients — most receive vaccinations, like MMR and hepatitis B, as a way to increase the likelihood that the transplant will be successful.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
June 25 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons include war on a loop, the New York City mayoral race, and one almighty F-bomb
-
How generative AI is changing the way we write and speak
In The Spotlight ChatGPT and other large language model tools are quietly influencing which words we use
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr.: A new plan for sabotaging vaccines
Feature The Health Secretary announced changes to vaccine testing and asks Americans to 'do your own research'
-
Unraveling autism: RFK Jr.'s vow to find a root cause
Feature RFK Jr. has vowed to find the root cause of the 'autism epidemic' in months. Scientists have doubts.
-
The sneaking rise of whooping cough
Under the Radar The measles outbreak isn't the only one to worry about