Dallas-based Children’s Health says that most of its workers were vaccinated against COVID-19 as of the hospital system’s Oct. 1 deadline. According to the department, 99% of its 7500 workers were vaccinated against the virus.
“We are proud of our COVID-19 vaccination efforts with 99% of our team members fully vaccinated to date,” Children’s Health said in a statement. “As we have seen an increase in COVID-19 cases recently, especially in children, this step ensures our team members and patients have the greatest protection against COVID-19.”
Children’s Health, along with three other North Texas health care systems, set Oct. 1 as a deadline for its workers to get vaccinated. As of Tuesday, the other health care systems have not provided a report of the number of employees who have complied with their mandates.
Cook Children’s, a Fort Worth-based children’s hospital system, also reported that 99% of its 8,000 employees were vaccinated as of the Sept. 27 deadline the organization gave. According to authorities, sixty-seven of those who failed to comply with the mandate resigned, while eighteen were fired.
Regarding the employees who have not shown proof of vaccination, Children’s Health has not shared what steps it will take.
Ever since Arlington-based Texas Health Resources gave a vaccination deadline to its employees, many more North Texas health care systems have followed. Non-health care companies are also beginning to set COVID vaccination requirements. Dallas-based Southwest Airlines announced a vaccine mandate for all 60,000 of its employees on Monday, Oct. 4, saying that employees who fail to get vaccinated will need to receive an approved exemption to continue working at the airline.
Dallas-based AT&T Inc. also implemented a mandate for its management and union-represented employees to be vaccinated before entering their work location.
