Wake County recently issued the following announcement.
87% attest to full vaccination; remaining commit to weekly testing
With the Delta variant continuing to generate a surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in North Carolina, mainly among the unvaccinated, Wake County is proud to announce that 87% of its employees have attested that they are fully vaccinated.
Out of 4,185 employees, 3,623 have responded that they are fully vaccinated, thanks to a program which encouraged county staff to roll up their sleeves and take their shots to help protect their workplace and their community from the virus.
“We’re extremely pleased with the results and applaud our employees for taking the right steps to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Wake County Board of Commissioners Chair Matt Calabria. “Getting vaccinated is the best way to bring Wake County out of this pandemic safely and return to a more normal way of life.”
In August, Wake County joined other government agencies, health care systems and businesses in announcing a program, which urged employees to get vaccinated. It required staff to attest by Sept. 15 that they were fully vaccinated, or they would be required to get tested weekly for the fast-spreading virus.
“Right now, 76.4% of adults in Wake County are fully vaccinated, and I’m proud to see that an even larger percentage of our employees got their shots,” said Dr. José G Cabañas, Chief Medical Officer for Wake County and Director of Wake EMS. “Those percentages confirm that vaccines are safe and effective, and Team Wake – along with our community – is committed to helping Wake County end this pandemic.”
Wake County Government employees who attested they are fully vaccinated will receive $250 and two days of bonus leave. They have attested to receiving either a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine. The county is working to verify the attestation against state records to ensure the claims are truthful and accurate. The funding for the financial incentive comes from the allotment received from the federal government’s American Rescue Plan.
Starting today, employees who chose not to get fully vaccinated must get tested weekly for COVID-19 by Wednesday of each week. This requirement will remain in place until the county’s positivity rate is less than 5% and there is no significant or high community transmission.
Dr. José G Cabañas will be available until 2 p.m. TODAY to provide phone or virtual interviews for media who may have questions. Free shots are available six days a week at Wake County clinic locations. Appointments are required. For more information, visit WakeGov.com/vaccine.
Original source can be found here.
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