Intermountain Healthcare to pause Covid vaccine requirement

Photo: Intermountain Park City Hospital

SALT LAKE CITY — Intermountain Healthcare and MountainStar Healthcare have temporarily halted their requirements that employees be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to Fox 13.

The rules came after President Joe Biden’s mandate calling companies with 100 or more employees to implement either a vaccine requirement or weekly testing for those choosing to go unvaccinated.

On Tuesday, a judge blocked the start of the mandate, after 14 states, including Utah, sued the federal government over the rule.

“We’re confident that this preliminary injunction is the first step in overturning the mandate once and for all,” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said in a statement.

“As I’ve stated before, we want to ensure that Utahns don’t lose access to healthcare, especially in rural areas. The White House is out of bounds with such an order, and we expect our other mandate actions will follow a similar path. We look forward to pursuing these cases.”

The University of Utah Health said they are waiting for “additional direction from state leaders,” choosing to leave their vaccine requirement in place.

In a statement published by Fox, Intermountain said in a statement that they are waiting for clearer direction from the courts.

“We have been actively monitoring lawsuits filed for these regulations and evaluating how they impact us.” The company said 95% of caregivers had complied with the government requirement prior to the pause.