Kaiser Permanente has placed 2,200 employees on unpaid administrative leave for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine by the health system's deadline, a spokesperson told KCBS Radio late Tuesday.
Kaiser's vaccination deadline – announced on Aug. 2 – was Sept. 30.
It wasn't revealed how many of the 2,200 employees are in California, though many of Kaiser's 216,000 total employees are located in the state. According to a release, more than 92% of Kaiser's employees have gotten their shots, up from 78% at the time the vaccination mandate was announced.
"We hope none of our employees will choose to leave their jobs rather than be vaccinated, but we won't know with certainty until then," a Kaiser spokesperson said in a statement. "We will continue to work with this group of employees to allay concerns and educate them about the vaccines, their benefits, and risks."
Anyone not responding to the health system regarding their vaccination status by Dec. 1 won't be able to return to work.






