The decision by UCHealth to inactivate a kidney transplant candidate over her choice to go unvaccinated against COVID-19 prompted a furor last week. UCHealth should be applauded for its science-driven decision, and it may end up trailblazing the path for health care providers across the country.
It should also be yet another data point for the stubbornly unvaccinated to reconsider their positions.
Inactivating transplant candidates over counter-productive choices is not new. Drinking a few cold beers would get a candidate booted from the liver transplant list. Refusal to stop smoking would keep one from getting a new pair of lungs. A diet high in bacon, no matter how mouth-watering it may be, is a sure-fire way to keep someone from getting a heart transplant.
Failure to vaccinate against COVID-19 is just another necessary screening protocol.
As I wrote just last week, unvaccinated individuals suffer statistically worse health care outcomes. That is not a subjective statement; it is a mathematical conclusion.
