Thread by @washingtonpost

A Houston-based hospital system suspended more than 170 health-care workers who did not comply with the organization’s vaccine mandate, the system’s CEO said Tuesday wapo.st/3528vT5

While 24,947 of Houston Methodist’s employees were fully vaccinated by Monday’s deadline, 178 employees did not get fully vaccinated and were suspended without pay for two weeks, Houston Methodist CEO Marc Boom wrote in an internal message. wapo.st/2TIBV6j

In March, Boom called on staffers to get vaccinated. If the employees do not prove vaccination or have an exemption by June 21, they will be subject to “employment termination,” a hospital memo said. wapo.st/2TIBV6j

“I know that today may be difficult for some who are sad about losing a colleague who’s decided to not get vaccinated,” Boom wrote.

Read the full message here: wapo.st/3ioZj3c

Jennifer Bridges, a nurse who has worked for Houston Methodist for more than six years, objected because the vaccines authorized for emergency use in the U.S. have not been “fully” approved by the FDA — a process that generally involves two years of clinical trials.

Bridges and 116 other Houston Methodist employees sued the hospital system last month, after it made vaccination a condition of employment.

The lawsuit, filed in a state court, has moved to a federal court. wapo.st/3gkbHPo

Boom and outside experts have countered that the vaccines are safe and effective, citing the growing body of data on their protective effects. wapo.st/35bMLUN