About 2,200 Kaiser employees on unpaid leave due to vaccination status

Oakland-based health care provider Kaiser Permanente had just over 2,200 employees on unpaid administrative leave as of Monday because they were not vaccinated from COVID-19, Kaiser officials said.

The company told its employees Aug. 2 that they would have to be vaccinated. Seventy-eight percent of employees and doctors were vaccinated then. Now, the company says 92 percent are vaccinated.

Employees must get vaccinated and return to work by Dec. 1 to stay with Kaiser, company officials said.

Last year, Kaiser Permanente had 280,000 employees across eight states and Washington, D.C.

Kaiser officials have contingency plans in place in case some employees choose to stay unvaccinated. The plans include the possibility of hiring temporary workers.

The number of Kaiser Permanente employees who are vaccinated is growing daily, according to the company. Company officials said they are working with unvaccinated employees to allay concerns and educate them about the benefits and risks of the vaccine.