Kaiser Permanente has put more than 2,200 workers on unpaid leave for not abiding by its coronavirus vaccine mandate.
“This number is declining daily, and as employees respond, they may return to work,” the company said in a Tuesday statement.
“Those not responding have until Dec. 1, 2021, to do so, to be able to return to work,” it added.
The company said 92 percent of its employees have been vaccinated, up from 78 percent when the mandate was announced back on Aug. 2.
The unpaid leaves were first reported by The Sacramento Bee.
Countless firms and schools implemented a coronavirus vaccine mandate over the summer as the vaccine became widely available and the Food and Drug Administration granted full approval to Pfizer's.
Some states have encouraged vaccine mandates while others, such as Texas and Florida, have banned employers from implementing them.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) has encouraged all mayors and governors to put vaccine mandates in place after his teacher vaccine mandate ended with 95 percent of school employees vaccinated.
