Hartford Healthcare has joined some other hospital systems in the state in requiring employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Hospital leaders say the shots will keep staff healthy, and reduce the possibility of exposing patients to the virus.
Hartford Healthcare Infection Prevention Director Keith Grant says for state residents who are not vaccinated and have other health problems, the emerging threat of the delta variant makes the current situation as dangerous as the early days of the virus' spread in Connecticut, in March of last year.
"One of the most alarming numbers for us in this decision-making process is that well over 99 percent of individuals who have died and been in critical care over the last 2-3 weeks are individuals who have not been vaccinated, or not been fully vaccinated," Grant said.
Hartford Healthcare employees who refuse to get the shot could lose their jobs.
The daily percentage of COVID-19 tests coming back positive in Connecticut topped the 1 percent threshold yesterday, for the first time in more than a month. The number of patients hospitalized with the disease dropped slightly.
