Milwaukee-based Froedtert Well being is warning some unvaccinated workers that they’ll lose their jobs if they don’t obtain a brand new exemption or Novavax’s not too long ago licensed COVID-19 vaccine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Sept. 8.
The FDA licensed Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use in adults in July. Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine is protein-based and doesn’t use mRNA know-how.
Some Froedtert Well being workers obtained exemptions to the well being system’s vaccination coverage after indicating that fetal cell strains in mRNA vaccines conflicted with their non secular beliefs or medical state of affairs, based on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Contemplating the variations in vaccines, the well being system has a brand new coverage, first reported by NBC affiliate WTMJ.
A well being system assertion shared with Becker’s reads: “The Novavax vaccination for COVID-19 is now out there. This protein-based vaccination possibility eliminates conflicts for these employees with non secular or medical exemptions brought on by mRNA-based vaccines and different considerations. Since these employees at the moment are eligible for a vaccination that doesn’t battle with their non secular beliefs or medical state of affairs, their exemption will expire.”
“This impacts lower than 1 % of our employees. We proceed to permit legitimate medical exemptions and sincerely held non secular exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine. Impacted employees had been supplied the chance to use for an exemption after studying the earlier exemption stored on file was now not legitimate.”
An electronic mail despatched to a Froedtert Well being worker obtained by WTMJ says workers whose exemption will expire and haven’t obtained a brand new one should obtain the primary dose of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 21 or they are going to be thought of voluntarily resigned. Workers whose exemption will expire and haven’t obtained a brand new one should obtain the second dose of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 19 or be thought of voluntarily resigned.
Froedtert Well being offers varied well being companies, together with 11 hospitals and well being facilities, residence care, laboratory, medical insurance, employer well being companies and office clinics, and digital well being options.