A hospital in Houston, Texas suspended 178 of its employees after they refused to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The story: Houston Methodist Hospital suspended the health care workers for two weeks, without pay, for opting out of vaccination by the hospital’s Monday deadline. They are expected to get fired if they fail to comply with the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.
Specifically, they have until their suspensions expire to get a COVID-19 jab or they’ll be out of a job, according to FOX4.
The suspensions were announced in a memo on Monday that was obtained by the Washington Post.
“I know that today may be difficult for some who are sad about losing a colleague who’s decided to not get vaccinated,” Boom wrote. “We only wish them well and thank them for their past service to our community, and we must respect the decision they made.”
The move sparked protests outside the hospital on Monday, according to The Texan. The demonstration counted around 150 people, including hospital workers who were suspended.
Are there exceptions to the requirement? Hospital workers can apply for medical or religious exemptions. In fact, the hospital granted such requests to 285 employees and an additional 332 for pregnancy or other reasons.
Meanwhile, 99% of employees at Houston Methodist have been vaccinated against COVID-19, in line with the previously established deadline. According to Boom, 24,947 of Houston Methodist’s employees had been fully vaccinated.
“27 have received one dose of vaccine, so I am hopeful they will get their second doses soon,” Boom wrote in an internal message.
A lawsuit: 117 employees have filed a lawsuit against the hospital for mandating COVID-19 vaccinations. They argue that the policy is infringing upon their rights and is unlawful as the hospital is “forcing its employees to be human ‘guinea pigs’ as a condition for continued employment.”
The federal government has said that it is legal for companies to require workers to get coronavirus vaccines.
