North Carolina-based hospital system fires 175 for failing to comply with vaccine mandate

A North Carolina-based hospital system has fired 175 employees for failing to comply with its COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Novant Health had said last week that approximately 375 of its 35,000-member workforce was noncompliant with the mandate, and those individuals were placed on a five-day, unpaid suspension.

Team members who remained noncompliant after the suspension period would have their employment terminated.

In a statement to The Hill on Tuesday, the hospital system said that roughly 200 additional team members have come into compliance since last week’s update.

Novant Health first announced its vaccine mandate on July 22. Under the mandate, employees had until Sept. 15 to be fully vaccinated.

Employees who are granted a medical or religious exemption must undergo weekly coronavirus testing and wear N95 respirators and eye protection while working on the premises.

The firings come as hospitals, universities and other employers increasingly mandate vaccinations for employees amid the rise of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

At Houston Methodist in Texas, which was the first hospital known to mandate vaccinations for employees, more than 150 workers were fired or resign after refusing to get vaccinated.

Similar firings occurred at hospitals in New Jersey and South Carolina earlier this year.

President Biden has mandated that employers with at least 100 employees require vaccines or make employees undergo weekly testing. Last month, he required nursing home staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and threatened to withhold federal aid from facilities that do not comply.