SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Thousands of Kaiser Permanente employees across the country have been suspended for not responding to the vaccination requirement that was announced on August 2.
The health care organization announced that all employees and physicians would be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine — As of Oct. 4, about 2,200 employees had not responded.
Those employees have been placed on unpaid administrative leave. However, they do have until Dec. 1 to get vaccinated and return to work.
When Kaiser Permanente announced its vaccination requirement in August, the vaccination rate was 78%. Now, there are more than 92% of employees fully vaccinated and that number is growing.
Officials said they will work with the unvaccinated employees to reduce their concerns and educate them about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here is the full statement released from Kaiser Permanente:
When we announced our vaccination requirement on August 2, our overall employee and physician vaccination rate was 78 percent. Since then, we have made remarkable progress: More than 92 percent of our employees have been vaccinated — and the number continues to grow. As of October 4, just over 2,200 have not responded to our vaccine requirement, and have been put on unpaid administrative leave across the country. This number is declining daily, and as employees respond they may return to work. Those not responding have until December 1, 2021 to do so, to be able to return to work. We hope none of our employees will choose to leave their jobs rather than be vaccinated, but we won’t know with certainty until then. We will continue to work with this group of employees to allay concerns and educate them about the vaccines, their benefits, and risks.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser is not releasing information about where the employees are located.