Houston Methodist Hospital requiring employees to have COVID-19 booster shot by March 1

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- As the omicron variant continues to surge, Houston Methodist Hospital is requiring employees to get a booster shot.

Employees received a message from the hospital's CEO stating that managers are required to have the booster shot by Jan. 31 and all other employees have until March 1.

The video above is from a previous story.

"It has been seven months since our deadline for the first two shots and most of us are boosted already, but we need to be sure all of us are. Like I said when we did this the first time, as health care workers we've taken a sacred oath to do everything possible to keep our patients safe and healthy - this includes getting a booster now," CEO Dr. Marc Boom wrote. "We have battled courageously against COVID-19 for almost two years. And while we can't foresee every variant like omicron, we need to remain nimble and do what we can to protect our patients. Vaccines are safe, and we know that boosters are the best available protection right now against this variant."

SEE ALSO: Most of Harris County's $43M in emergency funds to pay for 'army of nurses'

The city of Houston and Harris County have seen the impact the omicron surge has sparked in some hospitals, especially with staffing and the availability to deliver services.

On Tuesday, Harris County commissioners approved more than $43 million in spending on two emergency COVID measures. The first is hiring up to 664 temporary nurses to battle the shortage in local hospitals across the county. This is the second time commissioners have had to supplement a sick and burned-out health care workforce on the front lines of the pandemic for close to two years.

Houston Methodist Hospital says they are preparing to receive around 100 temporary workers.