Lamont: 28 state workers fired over vaccination

More than two dozen state employees have been fired and hundreds of health care workers have been suspended and face termination for failing to comply with COVID vaccination requirements.

After announcing last week the termination of 12 probationary employees — state workers who have been hired within the last six months — Gov. Ned Lamont said that number has grown to nearly 30.

During an event in Southington, Lamont said Tuesday 28 state employees were fired Friday for noncompliance. He said Tuesday was the last day for employees to comply with the vaccinate-or-test orders.

“I think we were at 28 as of the end of Friday. We’re contacting all the folks who are not in compliance, saying come into human resources, one more chance, see if we can help you fill it out correctly, make sure you’re following the rules,” the governor said. “Otherwise, they’ll be on unpaid leave.”

But the governor sounded more hesitant about issuing a vaccine mandate for the state National Guard, only about 1 percent of whom he said remain unvaccinated.

Asked about staffing shortages, Lamont said the state is considering sending “additional support” to Whiting Forensic Hospital in Middletown. The comment came on the heels of an investigation by the state Department of Public Health that found drastic staffing shortages at the facility.

“You’re working in there with those folks, you’ve got to be vaccinated. That’s the CDC guidance and that’s our rules as well,” Lamont said.

Connecticut health systems are also facing shortages as several hundred workers face termination for refusing to be vaccinated or seek an exemption.

At Yale New Haven Health, 225 employees are expected to be fired next week, the hospital said Monday. Those employees have received written notice they will be suspended until they are terminated. The employees can avoid termination if they show they are completely vaccinated before

Oct. 18.

At Hartford HealthCare, 176 employees had been suspended as of last Thursday, Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Ajay Kumar said at the time. He said those employees could still choose to take the vaccine, “otherwise they will be choosing a different type of career, at least in health care for Hartford HealthCare.”

Kumar said the employees, who had each been contacted, represented a small fraction of the health system’s 26,373 workers.

As of Tuesday, a Hartford HealthCare spokesperson said 99.6 percent of employees were in compliance. She said about 97 percent are fully vaccinated, while the remaining have approved exemptions and will undergo weekly testing.

The percentage is a significant increase from early

July, when around 72 percent of the hospital system’s employees were fully vaccinated.

Nuvance Health, which operates Norwalk, Danbury, New Milford and Sharon hospitals as well as others in New York, said as of Monday 2 percent of employees were suspended without pay for failing to comply with its vaccine mandate. Nuvance employees had until Oct. 1 to get vaccinated, while new hires were required to show proof they had been vaccinated starting Aug. 23.

A Stamford Health spokesperson said 99.7 percent of its approximately 3,700 staff members were in compliance as of Oct. 6 with the health network’s vaccine mandate. The spokesperson said the network has approved 86 religious or medical exemptions. The remaining 0.3 percent of employees — about 10 people — who have not complied have been suspended and could be terminated, the spokesperson said.

Trinity Health New England said about 96 percent of its employees were in compliance with its vaccine mandate as of Oct. 1.

Griffin Health officials did not respond to a request for their employee vaccination rates.

While hospital officials address internal vaccine mandates, the number of COVID patients requiring admission has been declining.

Since Friday, hospitalizations remained flat at 234 — one of the lowest numbers in weeks. The state on Tuesday reported 1,473 new cases since Friday with a three-day positivity rate of 1.98 percent.

Overall, the state’s vaccination rate continues to slowly rise. Statewide, about 88.7 percent of those who are eligible have received at least one dose as of Saturday, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 68,000 doses of vaccine were administered in the state during the most recent week of data available. It was the first time the number of weekly shots had risen above 60,000 since June, according to state figures.