Health System in Michigan with over 99% Vaccination Compliance Rate has Nearly 700 Employees Test Positive with COVID-19

 

Michigan’s largest health system reported that 686 of its employees tested positive for COVID-19 over the last seven days despite having a vaccination compliance rate of 99%.

The Henry Ford Health System had nearly 700 employees test positive in one week and that’s about 2% of the total workforce. Sick employees are required to quarantine for seven days after showing their first symptoms and could be extended if their symptoms persist longer.

“In the last seven days, 686 team members have tested positive for Covid. This is a 3-fold increase since December,” Dr. Adnan Munkarah said on Henry Ford’s website. “We had to temporarily close 97 beds in three of our hospitals, mostly due to staffing challenges.”

Henry Ford Health System was the first health system in Michigan to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for its employees with a September 10, 2021, deadline. Despite protests and the threat of litigation, 99% of the system’s 33,000 workers were fully or partially vaccinated.

American Hospital Association reported:

As one of the largest employers in metro Detroit with over 30,000 employees, Henry Ford Health System faced a huge challenge in vaccinating its employees and the wider community. Henry Ford was the first health system in Michigan to require COVID-19 vaccination for its workforce with a September 10, 2021, deadline. As of October 5, 99% of staff were compliant with the requirement.

Since the rollout of vaccines, Henry Ford has played a vital role in contributing to Michigan’s overall vaccine efforts by being involved in the administration of more than 600,000 doses of vaccine throughout the region and communities it serves.