153 Houston Methodist staff who refused to get COVID vaccine have been fired or resigned

Rebecca Falconer

June 23, 2021, 7:33 AM·1 min read

153 health care workers who refused to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate have resigned or been fired, the Houston Methodist Hospital confirmed Tuesday.

Why it matters: The Texas hospital was one of the first in the U.S. to announce such requirement, and it suspended 178 employees without pay for 14 days for failing to comply with the rule.

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A federal judge on June 13 dismissed a lawsuit brought by 117 staff challenging the Houston hospital's mandate.

What's happening: A hospital spokesperson confirmed that the employees had either resigned during the two-week suspension period or had their employment terminated on Tuesday.

"The employees who became compliant during the suspension period returned to work the day after they became compliant," the spokesperson said.

Of note: Houston Methodist Hospital CEO, Marc Boom said after announcing the suspensions that that 24,947 workers had been vaccinated against the coronavirus by the June 9 deadline.

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