PHOTO | ATRIUM HEALTH

Charlotte's major health care companies, Atrium Health and Novant Health must now show proof of vaccination, and all Mecklenburg Public Health employees are required to be vaccinated against COVID by Sept. 7.

All health workers in Mecklenburg County are required to be vaccinated by Sept. 7.

Starting Aug. 2, all public health county employees are required to receive a COVID vaccine according to Mecklenburg County Health Department.

“As public health staff, we have led the COVID-19 response efforts for the county and know too well the very high level of sickness, death, and impact the pandemic has had in our community,” said Public Health Director Gibbie Harris. “Despite significant prevention efforts, COVID-19 continues to spread in our community, including new highly contagious variants.”

The county health department is confident that the vaccine requirement will protect patients and staff in the hospital with the recent rise in COVID cases.

As of Aug. 4, there were 3,413 newly reported cases in North Carolina, with the daily percent positive rate at 12%.

During the past week in Mecklenburg County, there was an average of 288 COVID cases per day compared to the average of 231 cases reported in a two-week period.
Atrium Health and Novant Health both announced deadlines for their employees to be fully vaccinated.

Employees at Atrium have until Oct. 31 to show proof of vaccination or an approved exemption for medical issues or religious beliefs. Novant Health employees have until Sept. 15 to show proof of their COVID vaccine and have until Aug. 26 to provide a request for an exemption.

“By making the vaccine mandatory for our teammates, Atrium Health, including Wake Forest Baptist Health and Atrium Health Navicent, and along with multiple other health systems across the region, are taking reasonable steps to make sure that our teammates – many of whom remain on the frontlines, interacting directly with people who have COVID – are protected and available to care for members of the community as we deal with the next phases of the pandemic,” Atrium Health said in a statement.

Some healthcare workers are against the vaccine mandate.

A peaceful protest was held Aug. 1 in Charlotte with hundreds of health workers and supporters marching to Atrium Health to express their disapproval for the company’s decision.

North Carolina already recommends healthcare workers to receive vaccines for Hepatitis B, influenza, MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), Chickenpox, Tdap, and meningococcal.

The North Carolina Healthcare Association supports the COVID vaccine requirement for healthcare workers.

“The vaccine is the best tool we have right now, to prevent the spread of the disease, and especially with the rise of the Delta areas,” said Nicolle Karim, senior director of policy development at NCHA. “We want to do everything we can to keep healthcare employees, patients and the community at large. Vaccines have been shown to be safe and effective in preventing death and serious illness from COVID.”

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