Hundreds of U.S. Health Care Workers Fired, Suspended Over Refusal to Follow Vaccine Mandate
A 45 year old intubated Covid-19 patient who got his first vaccine two days before he got sick, lies on a bed while registered nurses check his medication, at the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit at Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center in Tarzana, California on September 2, 2021. - According to Dr. Yadegar at the hospital, the number of covid patients are significantly less than they were in winter, but from a psychological standpoint it's much more difficult because most of the patients in the ICU on respirators are unvaccinated, younger and healthier 30 and 40 year olds without comorbidities. Vaccinated patients at the hospital are typically older, but the Covid-19 effects are much milder compared to the unvaccinated patients that have more severe symptoms. APU GOMES/AFP via Getty Images

Hundreds of health care workers in the United States are being fired or suspended for over compliance with the vaccine mandate that U.S. President Joe Biden earlier announced.

Biden had announced a vaccine mandate for health care facilities that receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement affecting around 17 million health care workers in the U.S., according to an ABC News Go report.

Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas has around 26,000 employees with 153 of those having quit or fired over the vaccine mandate after the June 7 deadline to get the COVID vaccine.

Out of the 153 workers, 26 were nurses.

Hospital spokesperson Lisa Merkl said that they had staffed up before the mandate so that they would be much better prepared when the June 7 deadline arrived.

Merkl added that they continue to hire positions as needed, adding that they have not had any major turnover or staffing concerns.

Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles had projected about 97 percent to 98 percent of its 17,000 people workforce to comply by its vaccine deadline, which is until Thursday.

Only one percent applied for medical or religious exemptions.

The vaccine requirements were announced at the time that hospitals were facing staffing problems, according to California Hospital Association spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea.

The spokesperson said that there is a possibility that workers might opt to leave their jobs rather than get the COVID vaccine.

Not Just Health Care Workers

Meanwhile, other business sectors are also imposing a strict adherence policy for the vaccine mandate, such as the case with United Airlines.

About 600 United Airlines employees, who refused to get the COVID vaccine within the company-imposed deadline, will lose their jobs, according to a Forbes report.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and president Brett Hart said in a letter to employees that it was a difficult decision. However, keeping the team safe has always been the top priority.

The airline company noted that around 96 percent of its 67,000 employees have been vaccinated, while three percent are seeking an exemption, and fewer than one percent will be fired.

The exemption could result in being placed on unpaid leave, according to an Associated Press News report.

Other companies such as Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and McDonald's, among others, have also announced their own rules requiring in-office workers to be vaccinated now or in the coming weeks.

Tyson Foods has been requiring all of its workers to be vaccinated by November 1. The meatpacking company's workforce has been one that has been hit hard by the pandemic.

Around 80 percent of Tyson's employees have received at least one dose of the vaccine, which was an increase from 50 percent when it first announced the mandate in August.

Meanwhile, social media giant Facebook had pushed back its return to the office until January 2022 due to concerns over the delta variant, according to an NBC News report.

Lori Goler, vice president of Facebook People, said in a statement that they will be requiring anyone coming to work at any of their U.S. bases to be vaccinated as their offices reopen.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Local Healthcare Workers Face Consequences As Vaccine Mandate Looms - from KPBS