Houston hospital suspends 178 workers who refused to get vaccinated

Hospital intends on letting go staff who refuse to be vaccinated by 21 June if they do not have adequate exemptions which ignited a legal battle

Some staff protested the rule of the Houston hospital (AP)

A hospital in Texas has suspended 178 workers who have refused to get their vaccine to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The Houston Methodist Hospital had announced that all their staff needed to be fully vaccinated against coronavirus to continue working there, a request that 24,937 employees complied with. A further 285 employees were exempt on religious or medical reasons and 332 were granted deferrals, for things like pregnancy.

The 178 people whop refused to get the vaccine on grounds not covered above have been removed from their medical care duties and will not be paid for two weeks. If they do not get their jabs before 21 June, those people will face “employment termination”.

It is believed that 27 of those suspended have had one dose of a vaccine and are potentially having their second jab soon.

According to The Washington Post, the hospital’s CEO penned a memo to the entire staff of the hospital about their decision to suspend the workers, despite their attempts to protest the mandate with placards such as “No Forced Vaccines” and “Stop Medical Tyranny”.

CEO Marc Boom first expressed gratitude to the those who choose to get vaccinated and highlighted it was route of the pandemic in a letter to staff.

“I want to personally thank you for choosing to get vaccinated. 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,” wrote Mr Boom.

“You have fulfilled your sacred obligation as health care workers, and we couldn’t ask for more dedicated, caring and talented employees.”

The request for workers to be fully vaccinated was first made in March and sparked outrage from conservatives, ranging from media discussion to legal threats. Currently, there is no federal mandate for people to be vaccinated, however the CDC states “for some healthcare workers or essential employees, state or local government or employer, for example, may require or mandate that workers be vaccinated as a matter of state or other law”.

Opponents of the hospital’s policy, such as Houston Methodist Hospital nurse Jennifer Bridges, argue that the vaccine has not been “fully” approved by the Food and Drug Association, a step that typically takes two years. She and 116 colleagues have filed a lawsuit, which began in the state court and has transferred to a federal one.

“No one should be forced to put something in their body if they’re not comfortable with it,” she told The Texan. Ms Bridges does not describe herself as anti-vaccination, something she told The Post in May.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces employment equality law, said employers could insist staff be vaccinated, last week. Despite this, Ms Bridges outlined her commitment to the legal battle, which cites the Nuremberg Code and claims those people forced to be vaccinated are being treated as human “guinea pigs”.

“We will fight this all the way to the Supreme Court,” she said to The Texan. “This is wrongful termination and a violation of our rights.”

On Monday, Governor Greg Abbot signed a bill into law that disallows businesses to need customers to have a vaccine passport, which Jared Woodfill, the lawyer fighting the case on behalf of the 117 believes “will have huge implications for these cases in the district courts” said to The Texan.