What policies have hospitals developed for managing post-vaccination rash in employees?
Two large university hospitals (Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City and Stanford University Hospital in Palo Alto) have instituted the following policy: a) Employees are instructed that they may develop a rash 2-6 weeks after vaccination and that this rash may be either a localized rash at the site of vaccination or a diffuse varicella-like rash. Either rash may be atypical with macules or papules rather than vesicles. Employees are instructed to report immediately to the occupational health office if a rash develops. b) Employees with either an injection site rash or a generalized rash are furloughed until the rash resolves (usually in 2-3 days). The occupational health office verifies that the rash has resolved and they are not potentially infectious to others before allowing the employee to resume patient care duties.
