Amid the rise of COVID-19 cases, Houston Methodist Hospital in Texas has fired 150 workers who refused to get vaccinated, and now the hospital has reached a "breaking point."
Meanwhile, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an order that all health care workers must get vaccinated by Aug. 27 in response to the rising number of cases. The rise is linked to the new delta variant, the governor said.
Health care workers in New Mexico will also be required to show proof of having at least their first shot of the vaccination within 10 days of Aug. 17, the governor's office said in a release. It is unclear what refusal to meet this mandate will result in, but the governor has said before that termination is possible.
After Houston Methodist fired the workers refusing to take the vaccine, many people here predicted that the governor's order may lead to more job terminations after Aug. 27, pinonpost.com reported. Two months after the firings, the Texas hospital has more COVID-19 patients than it can handle due to the lack of staff.
"Hospital 'hits breaking point' after firing 150 unvaccinated workers," former Sandoval County Planning and Zoning Commission member Todd Hawthorne wrote in a tweet. "August 27th is THE day it happens in NM. Right @GovMLG?"
At the same time, several unions in Quebec, Canada, that represent health care workers have raised their voice to the cause, wnd.com reported. They stated their concern regarding these government policies that will result in people losing their jobs if not vaccinated.
According to the governor's mandate, health care workers will also be required to produce proof of their first shot of vaccination within 10 days from Aug. 17th. Even though the governor mentioned that termination of jobs is possible, it is still unclear what would happen if someone refuses to meet the mandate.
Meanwhile, to meet this shortage of medical personnel, Texas' Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has asked for 2,500 out-of-state nurses to deal with this surge of COVID-19 cases. Even though the cases have reduced a lot compared to the record highs, the numbers are rising once more.
