The coronavirus vaccine has been around since more than a year and majority of the nations across the globe have already inoculated majority of their population. However, despite awareness campaigns, it has been noticed that there are still people who continue to stay away from the vaccine and refuse to take it due to a number of reasons. Some site religious reasons while others believe that the vaccines do no good. Looking at the crisis, a large hospital network in North Carolina has said that it will be firing about 200 workers who have not yet taken their COVID-19 vaccine.
The chief of safety of Novant Health, Dr. David H. Priest, during a briefing said that they have identified nearly 175 staffers who have not yet complied with the vaccination deadline. Priest added that by not getting vaccinated they voluntarily resign. He also assured that the departure of the unvaccinated employees will not affect the hospital system which has 35,000 employees and it has also been adding temporary staff members through the pandemic that compensated for the shortage of staff members who fell ill with COVID.
Novant Health has 15 medical centres and a number of other facilities in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia. It is a non-profit health care system and has its headquarters in Winston-Salem. Priest added that the move is being taken due to the fact that more number of unvaccinated people are getting hospitalized at its facilities. While informing about the figures, Priest said that 97 percent of the patients with COVID-19 who are in the ICUs, 98 percent of them are on ventilators and are unvaccinated.
He also said that the situation continues as the pandemic of the unvaccinated. The statement from Novant Health has said that the staff members who have requested for an exempt over religious or medical exemptions will have to use additional protective equipment and will also have to submit weekly testing reports.
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