175 Workers in North Carolina Hospital System Fired for Refusing Vaccine

175 employees in a North Carolina hospital system have been fired after failing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. 

The system, Novant Health, previously made the medically sound decision to put in place mandatory vaccination for its workers. Per a CBS News report shared on Wednesday, a total of 375 employees across 15 different hospitals and 800 clinics were initially suspended for lack of vaccination. Within days, however, 200 of those suspended employees had finally agreed to get vaccinated.

The other 175, meanwhile, were upgraded from being suspended to being fired. 

Earlier this month, Novant Health announced that 98.6 percent of its more than 35,000 employees had complied with the mandatory vaccination program. For those who recently kicked off a two-dose regimen, a cutoff date of Oct. 15 has been set for the second dose. Not meeting that date means an employee is no longer compliant with the policy.

In a tweet Tuesday, Megan Rivers—the director of media and influencer relations at Novant—said the team was “proud” of the tens of thousands of employees (i.e. the vast majority) who had been vaccinated. Ensuring one’s vaccination during the pandemic, Rivers added, means they’re putting “patient safety at [the] forefront.”

North Carolina recently made headlines of the coronavirus variety with an ad agency’s inventive approach to encouraging higher vaccination rates. The BooneOakley agency, as seen in viral photos, sent out a rolling billboard in the Charlotte area that seemingly advertised a funeral home with the phrase “Don’t get vaccinated.” The funeral home, however, was fake. Its website instead directed visitors to info on how to make a vaccine appointment.