A hospital system in Texas has suspended workers who didn’t get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Houston Methodist system on April 1 informed employees that they would be required to get a vaccine on or before June 7 or submit documentation for an exemption.
Exemptions would only be based on a medical condition such as pregnancy deferment or sincerely held religious beliefs.
As of June 8, 24,947 workers have chosen to become fully vaccinated against the CCP virus, according to Marc Boom, CEO of the system.
But, he told employees in an internal memo obtained by The Epoch Times, 178 workers either didn’t get fully vaccinated or didn’t get vaccinated at all.
“The small percentage of employees who did not comply with the policy are now suspended without pay for the next 14 days,” he wrote, adding that those workers “have decided not to put their patients first.”
According to the April 1 memo that was sent to employees in the hospital system, the workers who were suspended would be fired if they had not been fully vaccinated as of June 7.
Another 285 employees received a medical or religious exemption, while 332 were granted deferrals for pregnancy and other reasons.
Boom told the workers who have been vaccinated that he was proud of them.
“You did the right thing. You protected our patients, your colleagues, your families, and our community. The science proves that the vaccines are not only safe, but necessary if we are going to turn the corner against COVID-19,” he wrote.
For those sad about “losing a colleague who’s decided not to get vaccinated,” he said, “we only wish them well and thank them for their past service to our community, and we must respect the decision they made.”
