(Reuters] – Northwell Health has fired 1400 workers in New York State for refusing to get COVID-19 shots, according to Joe Kemp, a spokesman.

Like other companies in healthcare that recently fired workers because they did not follow vaccine mandates, Northwell employs a smaller percentage than the 76,000 who are currently inoculated.

New York’s mandate to immunize healthcare workers was implemented last week. California is not the only state to have similar laws.

Officials have credited the requirements with increasing the rate of vaccination, though a small number of employees have decided they would rather lose their jobs than get shots https://www.reuters.com/world/us/few-skeptical-us-hospital-workers-choose-dismissal-over-vaccine-2021-10-03.

Northwell, which announced the mandate for vaccines in August was weeks before the state required. This mandate was extended to non-clinical and clinical workers.

Kemp stated that “our goal wasn’t to terminate employees.” “Our goal is to get people vaccined.”

Kemp stated that the Northwell 23 hospitals and other facilities will not be affected by Kemp’s terminations.

Northwell regretted the loss of any employee in these circumstances, it said in a release. “We owe it our patients, staff and the communities that we serve to get COVID-19 vaccine 100 percent.”