Mercy COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Kick in, Unvaccinated Staff Members Face Suspension

OKLAHOMA CITY —

A local hospital system confirmed on Friday that they have suspended unvaccinated staff members.

This summer, Mercy Health announced a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all employees. The requirement came as COVID-19 cases were increasing across the country. Mercy said at the time that the majority of its patients hospitalized for COVID-19 weren’t vaccinated.

The senior vice president said: “The data is clear – vaccination is key to saving lives.”

Mercy said it would work with coworkers to develop a plan ahead of yesterday’s deadline. That plan was to have unvaccinated employees be placed on 28-day unpaid suspension and given the opportunity to comply with the policy.

Mercy didn’t say how many employees were suspended.

In a statement, Mercy said: “It was a difficult day for Mercy to suspend some co-workers who have contributed to the mission of Mercy through the years, but Mercy simply believes this is the right thing to do to protect our communities from the spread of COVID-19.”