August 5, 2021 – Emory Healthcare (Atlanta, GA) has mandated coronavirus vaccinations for all of its more than 24,000 employees as the highly contagious delta variant fuels a surge in new COVID-19 infections.
Emory’s move follows a similar one last week by Piedmont Healthcare, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Georgia’s seven-day rolling average of newly reported COVID-19 cases has almost quadrupled in the past two weeks. But experts say the vast majority of those cases, especially ones severe enough to cause hospitalization or death, are among unvaccinated people and that widespread inoculation remains the best hope of containing the virus.
Just 40% of Georgians are fully vaccinated, compared to 50% nationwide.
Emory said it wants all employees to be vaccinated by October 1.