Nov. 23—ROCKINGHAM — Since FirstHealth of the Carolinas announced the Nov. 19 deadline for its employees to get both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, the hospital chain's staff is now 99.6% vaccinated while 21 employees have been suspended for non-compliance, a spokesperson said Monday.

FirstHealth, which has more than 5,300 employees in the region, announced on Sept. 22 that any staff member who was not fully vaccinated by Friday, Nov. 19 would be suspended for up to 28 days and that if they did not complete their vaccination cycle by Dec. 17, their employment would be terminated.

Staff can avoid termination without getting the vaccine by getting approval for a medical or religious exemption by Dec. 17, according to Emily Sloan, director of public relations for FirstHealth. She added that some employees have been granted this exemption.

"Individuals unable to be vaccinated due to a sincerely held religious belief, a medical contraindication, or a physical or mental disability may request an exemption as an accommodation," Sloan said in an email. "Those requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and handled consistent with applicable law."

In the weeks following the announcement, FirstHealth distributed weekly reminds to staff and held weekly vaccine clinics across the company's locations, which Sloan said helped ensure a high percentage of employees complied with the requirement.

"We expect the majority of the suspended employees to comply with the policy within 28 days," Sloan said. "These suspensions will not cause any disruption to operations."

Sloan did not respond Monday when asked via email what positions the staff members held who have been suspended, such as nurse or doctor.

The Nov. 19 and Dec. 17 deadlines are the Fridays before the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas, which last year coincided with a massive uptick in the spread of the virus due to people traveling and gathering in large groups.

The company waited until after at least one of the vaccines received full FDA approval before requiring vaccination for staff. The Pfizer vaccine received full FDA approval in August. FirstHealth conducted a company-wide survey and held multiple employee focus groups before deciding to require vaccination for continued employment. Chief Executive Officer Mickey Foster said in a press release that the requirement is in the "best interest of FirstHealth's staff and demonstrates the system's commitment to its core purpose: to care for people."

"We are committed to the health and safety of our FirstHealth family and the communities we serve," Foster continued. "Requiring COVID-19 vaccines is the right decision for our system, but it's not one we take lightly."