ATLANTA - Grady Health System said a majority of its employees will be required to have had a COVID-19 vaccine by October. The health care provider began rolling out its mandate this week.
"With the significant increase in COVID cases, we have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for our employees, medical staff, patients, and the community," the health care system wrote in a statement on Wednesday.
The rollout will begin with leaders, vendors, and new employees. All physicians, management-level staff, and vendors to be fully vaccinated by October 1, 2021. All new hires will also need to be vaccinated prior to starting with Grady.
SEE ALSO: 'Talk to your doctor': Kemp urges Georgians to strongly consider getting vaccinated
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Delta variant surge complicating return to the office plan
As Georgia experiences the fourth wave of COVID-19, many companies are delaying in person returns to the workplace and grappling with how to handle unvaccinated employees.
The health care system said it is working on a plan and timeline for all staff members to be vaccinated and hope to announce it soon.
The announcement comes as the more virulent Delta variant now accounts for about 90% of new cases across the state, according to health officials.
Two weeks ago, Grady reported seeing an increase in COVID-19 patients. Prior to that, they were down to an average of about ten COVID-19 patients a day.
The Georgia Department of Public Health on Wednesday afternoon said the number of hospitalizations has also jumped by 200 to 3,820 statewide. Health officials have said more than 86% of those hospitalized have not been vaccinated.
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Wellstar Healthcare employees protest vaccine mandate
Workers at the Wellstar in Spalding held a protest against the healthcare system's requirement that all employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.
As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the two-week average of new COVID-19 positive PCR tests has risen to 3,272, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health. The GDPH data also shows for the second day in a row, the combined positive PCR and antigen tests have inched higher, hovering just below 7,000, a number not seen since the end of January. The seven-day average is now above 5,536.
Vaccinations in Georgia this week surpassed 9 million doses with 46.5% of those eligible to receive the vaccine is fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That number lags behind the national average of 58.8%.
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