Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for employees to report their COVID-19 vaccinations, UNC Health and Duke Health systems each reported vast majorities of employees in compliance.

Spokespersons for the health systems shared more than 95 percent of employees at Triangle-area UNC Health locations either reported their vaccination status or exemption status as of Monday. At Duke Health, nearly 97 percent of employees reported being vaccinated.

The health systems jointly announced in July they would make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for employees, alongside other North Carolina hospital systems like Atrium Health, Cone Health and Novant Health. UNC Health and Duke Health partially credited the decision to a sharp increase of positive coronavirus cases and hospitalizations across the state due to the delta variant of COVID-19.

“We take this vaccine requirement very seriously, and did not approve it lightly,”read a statement from UNC Health on Monday to Chapelboro. “UNC Health is grateful for the hard work and sacrifices of our health workers during the pandemic. However, we believe that requiring vaccines is in the best interest of public health and is essential for the safety of our patients, teammates and communities. This vaccine requirement is designed to provide a critical layer of protection for everyone.”

UNC Health reported about 1,100 employees received approval for medical or religious reasons to be exempt from receiving the vaccines. Employees who remain unvaccinated and have not received approval, however, will enter a probationary period. The health system said this time period, lasting until November 2, will provide such people “a last chance to remain employed by UNC Health.” To leave probation, UNC Health staff will either need to complete the full vaccine requirement or confirm a medical/religious exemption submitted for approval before Tuesday.

“We are confident we will get the vast majority of our teammates vaccinated,” said the health system’s statement. “We want to keep everyone employed who wants to stay with UNC Health, and are working hard to accommodate employees with medical and religious concerns.”

A statement from Duke Health echoed similar sentiments, calling the vaccine requirement a demonstration “that our values are not just platitudes.” The system said many not yet in compliance are those who have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, are newly hired or are on leave. Duke Health said those groups of staff will have up to six additional weeks to achieve the requirement.

“As a result,” said the statement, “we expect a very small number of our 23,000 employees to be out of compliance.”

Duke Health employees who are not in compliance by 10 a.m. on Tuesday will be subject to “administrative actions, including possible unpaid administrative leave advancing to dismissal if full compliance is not achieved,” according to officials.

North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services reported Sunday more than 3,300 people are hospitalized due to complications from COVID-19. UNC Health officials have credited the majority of hospitalizations, as well as new positive coronavirus cases, to the spread of the delta variant of COVID-19 in unvaccinated populations.

 

Photo via UNC Health.

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