Vaccinations For Cape Hospital Workers Making A Difference: CEO

HYANNIS, MA — More than 3,000 of Cape Cod Healthcare's employees have received the COVID-19 vaccine, and according to the company's CEO its made a huge difference in keeping workers at Cape Cod and Falmouth Hopsitals healthy since the vaccine's implementation.

CEO Michael Lauf said last week was the first week in a long time no Cape Cod Healthcare employees missed work because of the coronavirus.

"To have zero last week in the middle of another surge is a powerful statement," Lauf said during a news conference Wednesday.

Cape Cod Healthcare received its first shipment the Pzifer vaccine on Dec. 14 and began distributing its first 2,900 doses the next day. Since then, nearly 3,700 of the company's 5,000 employees received their first shot, while 3,000 have gotten both doses.

According to Lauf, about 15 percent of the company's employees either elected not to receive the vaccine or are taking a wait-and-see approach.

Lauf said Cape Cod Healthcare will educate employees about the vaccine's safety to encourage more workers to get it. His goal is to get the percentage of employees refusing the vaccine into the single digits.