Amid the nationwide spike in omicron cases, the Mayo Clinic moved forward with firing 700 employees on Tuesday who refused to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Employees of the Rochester-based health system had until Monday to comply with the mandate or receive a religious or medical exemption.
"While final numbers are still not available, nearly 99% of staff across all Mayo Clinic locations have complied with the required vaccination program, meaning they have been vaccinated or have received medical or religious exemptions," the clinic said in a statement.
"This means that approximately 1% of staff across all locations will be released from employment as a result of the required vaccination program,” the statement continued. “This is comparable to what other health care organizations have experienced in implementing similar vaccine requirement programs. "
The Mayo Clinic said it is “saddened” to fire non-compliant employees but deemed the action justified to “keep our patients, workforce, visitors and communities safe.”
“Based on science and data, it's clear that vaccination keeps people out of the hospital and saves lives. That's true for everyone in our communities — and it's especially true for the many patients with serious or complex diseases who seek care at Mayo Clinic each day,” the statement added.
The move comes ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court hearing oral arguments Friday over President Biden’s vaccine mandates for healthcare workers and private employers with 100 or more employees.
According to The Star Tribune, many employers in Minnesota have paused mandates pending the outcome.
The pandemic is so severe that hospitals are firing doctors and nurses.
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) January 5, 2022
Mayo Clinic just fired 700 unvaccinated healthcare staff.
The Mayo Clinic just fired 700 employees for not getting the COVID vaccine. I don’t want to hear one more word about staffing shortages when they’re firing front line healthcare workers for refusing an illegal mandate. What’s happening is unAmerican. Freedom is essential!
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) January 5, 2022