UMass Memorial Employees Face Nov. 1 Deadline To Get Vaccinated

WORCESTER, MA — UMass Memorial Health will require employees to get vaccinated against coronavirus by Nov. 1 or possibly face termination, according to multiple reports.

The largest health system in the region will give caregivers until Nov. 1 to get inoculated, UMass Memorial Health CEO Eric Dickson said during a Wednesday meeting according to Spectrum1 and the Worcester Business Journal.

The hospital system put a vaccine mandate in place in August, in line with many major hospital networks in the state. Mass General Brigham put a mandate in place in June. Springfield's Baystate Health put a mandate in place in July with an Oct. 1 deadline for all employees.

In early September, President Joe Biden mandated any company employing over 100 workers would either need to mandate the vaccine or test employees weekly. The mandate also applies to any health facility receiving federal Medicare or Medicaid.

The UMass deadline also comes as the system is stressed by coronavirus patients. However, statewide coronavirus rates have begun to fall after a summer when the delta variant pushed new cases back to levels not seen since the winter.