Frequently Asked Questions

COVID-19 vaccines are the most-effective way to prevent infection. As a leader in preventative health care and to do the most we can to bring an end to this pandemic, we are requiring all Kaiser Permanente employees and on-site workers, including employees of our vendors and suppliers who are physically in KP facilities, to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  Additionally, boosters are required in our California markets beginning March 1, per the CDPH health order.

We are also joining national efforts to encourage more companies to follow our lead, to keep our employees, communities, and all those who reside in them, safe and healthy. We have developed a COVID-19 Workforce Vaccine Policy Toolkit to help you develop your vaccination program.  [Read more: Wall Street Journal article]

The vaccine requirement went into effect in our California markets on August 23, 2021 and in all other Kaiser Permanente markets by September 30, 2021.  The booster requirement was announced on December 22 and takes effect on March 1 in California markets.

The California Department of Public Health (CDHP) has extended its mandatory vaccination requirement covering workers in health care settings to now require that booster-eligible workers receive their COVID-19 booster vaccination by March 1, 2022. All California-based booster-eligible health care workers who have not received their booster vaccination must be tested for COVID-19 weekly or twice weekly, depending on whether they work in acute care or non-acute care settings, starting December 27, 2021. All booster-eligible health care workers who have not submitted proof that they have received their booster vaccination by March 1 will be out of compliance. Employees who are not immediately eligible for a booster will have 15 days to receive their booster vaccination once they become eligible.

In the markets outside of California, there is currently no requirement for vendor employees to have booster vaccinations. For vendors/facilities that have vendor credentialing systems (e.g., vendormate), vendor employees are encouraged to update their booster vaccination status if they have received one.

This applies to all indoor locations where care is provided to patients, including all general acute care hospitals, skilled and intermediate care facilities, ambulatory surgery centers (ASC), clinics and doctors’ offices including behavioral health, dental offices, dialysis centers, home care/home health/hospice, substance abuse and mental health facilities.  Vendors and contractors who do not physically enter a KP facility or work remote/offsite are not included in these requirements, unless required by additional state or local ordinances.

Vendor representatives should be prepared to show proof of vaccination and booster (paper or digital) each time they enter a KP facility. All vendor representatives should still display their “2021 vaccination confirmation sticker,” which visually shows that they received their initial vaccination series, per the requirements on the KP Supplier website.  For vendors/facilities that have vendor credentialing systems (e.g., vendormate), those processes should also be followed.

If you do not comply with KP vaccination policies your vendor representatives will be unable to enter KP facility. Please work with local Kaiser Permanente leadership or your supply chain contacts to help support completion of your service or delivery. Emergencies will be addressed on a case-by-case basis by local KP facility leadership.

Vendors are required to maintain documentation of the vaccination status of its employees who enter KP premises and any authorized declination of vaccination documentation. Vendors are also responsible for ensuring their contractors who enter KP premises are compliant with these requirements. Upon request by KP, vendors and their subcontractors must provide documentation of compliance with these requirements.

There are currently no changes to the 2021 vaccination confirmation stickers, which signifies employees have completed their vaccination series, per the 2021 CDC guidelines. Kaiser Permanente is not yet requiring updating the stickers for booster requirements.  We will inform our vendors and suppliers if and when an update is required for these stickers.

Any valid physical or digital COVID-19 vaccination record may be shown upon entry to a KP facility, along with a valid photo ID.  This includes, but may not be limited to, a physical or digital (e.g. photo) copy of a CDC vaccination card, immunization record from a health care provider, or digital record approved through a state agency (e.g. California Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record; Colorado myVaccineRecord, etc.).

CDC studies have found that adults who previously tested positive for COVID-19 but are no longer infectious may continue to shed detectable SARS-CoV-1 RNA up to 90 days post infection, which may lead to “false” positive test results. Vendor representatives who recently recovered from COVID-19 must work with their employer to ensure they have been cleared by a physician to discontinue isolation and return to work.  As an alternative to testing, vendor companies may provide these vendor representatives with documentation that states the individual is temporarily waived from the testing requirement for up to 90 days, noting the start and end date of the 90-day period. Vendor representatives must also follow PPE guidelines and other daily symptom self-check process, affirming they are symptom free each time they enter a KP facility.  KP employees must note this in the COVID Vax Facility Access form before vendor representative entry to the KP facility.

These vendor representative employees should also be encouraged to receive their COVID-19 vaccination once they have recovered from acute illness and meet the criteria for discontinuing isolation, as they will not be able to enter a KP facility after October 1st, 2021 unless they qualify for a medical or religious exemption.

The COVID-19 vaccines are both safe and effective. They meet the Food and Drug Administration’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality needed for emergency use authorization and are expected to gain full FDA approval soon. Ultimately, vaccines give us the opportunity to move beyond the pandemic and begin rebuilding daily life — just as vaccination has brought an end to the epidemics of smallpox, polio, and other deadly diseases.

Request that they make plans to get vaccinated and boosted as soon as possible, as full vaccination means at least 2 weeks after the final dose in either a 2 dose vaccine series (Pfizer or Moderna) or a single dose series (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen), as well as the appropriate booster.  In California, if you are not fully vaccinated by August 23, 2021 or if you qualify for a religious or medical exemption you will be required to show a negative COVID-19 test result within the previous 48 hrs. of your visit.  On October 1, a negative COVID-19 test result will only be available for those who qualify for a religious or medical exemption, across all Kaiser Permanente markets.

Your employee can retrieve a copy of your immunization from your health provider immunization record or your state immunization registry. Please note, this may take some time. If you are unable to submit proof of full vaccination you will be considered “unvaccinated” and will need to follow COVID-19 testing procedures.

Employees who qualify for a religious or medical exemption should sign a legal declination and provide supporting documentation to their employer to support their declination.  These employees will also be asked to show proof of negative COVID-19 test results taken within the previous 48 hours to enter a KP facility and complete our attestation process.

COVID-19 tests must be FDA approved and date/time stamped to show that it was taken within the previous 48 hours upon entry to a KP facility.

Covered health care workers are considered booster eligible as follows:

• Employees who received their primary vaccination with either Moderna or Pfizer are booster eligible 6 months after full vaccination.
• Employees who received their primary vaccination with the 1-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine are booster eligible 2 months after the first vaccination.

California-based vendor representatives who have not provided proof of full vaccination by an FDA- or WHO-approved vaccine, or who are eligible for a booster vaccination but have not yet received one, must provide a negative COVID-19 test to enter a KP facility.

• Vendor representatives who work in an acute care setting (including general acute care hospitals, skilled and intermediate care facilities) are required to test twice weekly. They should wait at least 48 hours after the first test of the week before obtaining the second test, ideally three or four days after the first test. The results of the first test should be available before the second test is obtained.
• Vendor representatives who work in a non-acute care setting (including ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient clinics, dental, dialysis, hospice, home health, substance abuse, and mental health facilities) are required to test once weekly.
• In addition, California-based vendor representatives who have obtained an approved medical or religious exemption from the vaccination requirement who work in covered medical settings are required to test.
• Markets outside of California will begin testing requirements if local or state orders apply to the workforce.