Story at a glance
- Mayo Clinic workers had until Monday to get their first dose of vaccine or obtain a medical or religious exemption to the health care system’s requirement.
- The Star Tribune reports the Mayo Clinic said about 1 percent of its staff, which is made up of about 73,000 workers, failed to meet policy requirements that were first introduced last July.
- The clinic, which is the largest employer in the state of Minnesota, said it granted the majority of exemption requests made by employees.
The Mayo Clinic has reportedly terminated roughly 700 employees who refused to comply with the medical center’s policy mandating workers receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
The Star Tribune reports Mayo Clinic workers had until Monday to get their first dose of vaccine or obtain a medical or religious exemption to the health care system’s requirement.
The Mayo Clinic said about 1 percent of its staff, which is made up of about 73,000 workers, failed to meet policy requirements that were first introduced last July. The hospital says the policy is necessary to keep patients, employees and visitors safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“While final numbers are still not available, nearly 99% of staff across all Mayo Clinic locations have complied with the required vaccination program, meaning they have been vaccinated or have received medical or religious exemptions,” the clinic said in a statement to the Star Tribune.
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“This means that approximately 1% of staff across all locations will be released from employment as a result of the required vaccination program. This is comparable to what other health care organizations have experienced in implementing similar vaccine requirement programs,” the Mayo Clinic said.
The clinic, which is the largest employer in the state of Minnesota, said it granted the majority of exemption requests made by employees.
Terminated employees could return to the medical center if they choose to receive the vaccine at a later date, according to NBC News.
The Mayo Clinic did not immediately respond to Changing America’s request for comment.
The medical center has faced heavy criticism over the vaccination requirement, as a group of 38 Minnesota lawmakers recently signed onto a letter urging the hospital to abandon the policy.
“We want to be clear that we are not opposed to vaccinations, and neither are most of your employees. However, while there certainly have been benefits shown from these mRNA vaccines in protecting against severe illness and death, there are also legitimate concerns – including a lack of available long term safety data and documented severe side effects like myocarditis,” the letter states.
“We are simply asking that both sides be acknowledged and considered in your vaccine policy. People deserve to make this decisions based on the benefits and risks for themselves and not coerced or forced into doing so by threat of losing one’s job.”
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