Novant Health, an organization responsible for several hospitals and healthcare centers in North Carolina, announced the firing of 175 unvaccinated employees for refusing to "comply with the mandatory vaccination policy" against COVID-19. This move is the latest in a series of firings for healthcare workers who refuse vaccination, according to the Washington Post. Last week, Novant Health stated that 375 unvaccinated employees across 15 hospitals and 800 clinics were suspended for not getting vaccinated. The unvaccinated employees were given a five-day deadline to comply with the mandatory vaccination policy.
Novant Health spokesperson Megan Rivers confirmed on Twitter that nearly 200 of the unvaccinated employees who were given the deadline, including those who submitted approved exemptions, received their first dose last week, and she confirmed that the remaining employees who did not comply with the organization's policy were fired. Novant Health stated, "We stand by our decision to make the vaccine mandatory because we are responsible for protecting our patients, visitors, and staff." Rivers assured the newspaper that over 99 percent of the 35,000 employees had been vaccinated.
The newspaper mentioned several similar instances of firing unvaccinated individuals, such as 150 healthcare workers at Houston Methodist Hospital, where some were fired and others resigned due to refusal to vaccinate in June, and 150 employees at ChristianaCare in Delaware were also fired last week.
In related news, United Airlines plans to fire about 600 employees refusing to get vaccinated, according to company officials on Tuesday. The company announced in August that it would require vaccinations for all 67,000 of its U.S. employees, making it the first major U.S. airline and one of the first large American companies to do so, according to the Wall Street Journal. The company set September 27 as the vaccination deadline, and after the deadline passed, with most employees complying, United began the process of firing 593 employees who had not been vaccinated.
Airline officials stated on Tuesday that these employees "can still save their jobs if they choose to get vaccinated in the coming days," as a final deadline before officially terminating their employment.
