Home Health & Hospice Week

One popular religious exemption may no longer be valid.

A Wisconsin health system is telling certain of its religiously exempt employees that they’ll now have to get vaccinated for COVID.

In a statement shared with media, Froedtert Health says “the Novavax vaccination for COVID-19 is now available. This protein-based vaccination option eliminates conflicts for those staff with religious or medical exemptions caused by mRNA-based vaccines and other concerns.”

Exemption applicants have cited the use of fetal material in mRNA vaccines or in their development.

“Since those staff are now eligible for a vaccination that does not conflict with their religious beliefs or medical situation, their exemption will expire,” Froedtert Health’s statement says. “This affects a small percentage of staff with a vaccine exemption. Eligible staff continue to be exempt from a COVID-19 vaccine for religious and medical reasons.”

The health system takes pains to point out that it “respects the right of staff and providers to engage in activity protected by state and federal law.” And “impacted staff were provided the opportunity to apply for an exemption after learning the previous exemption kept on file was no longer valid,” Froedtert adds.

Affected employees have until Sept. 21 to get the shot or be “voluntarily resigned,” reports WISN.

Whether health care employers will follow this test case remains to be seen, experts note.