Novant Health update on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination program for employees

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Novant Health today released the following update related to its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination program for employees: 

• Today, 98.6% of more than 35,000 team members are compliant with Novant Health’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination program. Team members are considered compliant if they have received the following: the single dose Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine, a first dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine — or if they applied for, and were granted, a medical or religious exemption. Team members who have started a two-dose vaccine series will now have until October 15 to get their second dose and remain in compliance.
• Novant Health team members who have been granted a medical or religious exemption are required to undergo weekly COVID-19 testing, wear N95 respirators masks or other appropriate PPE, and eye-wear protection while working on Novant Health premises. These added safety measures are in place to ensure patient and team member safety and preserve staffing levels.
• Beginning this week, approximately 375 team members — across 15 hospitals, 800 clinics and hundreds of outpatient facilities — have been confirmed to be non-compliant and are not able to report to work. They will have an opportunity to comply over a five day, unpaid suspension period. If a team member remains non-compliant after this suspension period, he or she will have their employment with Novant Health terminated.