Now that the New York state mandate for healthcare workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 has gone into effect, other states and the federal government are watching closely to see how workforce disruptions might play out.
Many still haven’t met the requirement, and New York’s long-term care facilities and hospitals are bracing for potential staff shortages. Monday, employers began firing or suspending workers who refused to get the shot.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) signed an executive order late Monday to address potential understaffing, as unvaccinated healthcare employees are no longer eligible to work. The executive order allows for medically trained National Guard members to be deployed to facilities if necessary, and for providers licensed in other states or countries, recent graduates and retired healthcare professionals to practice in the state.
The mandate has boosted the number of vaccinated healthcare workers, according to the governor. As of Monday evening, she said, the percentage of nursing home staff members receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose had increased to 92%, up from 70% on Aug. 15, before the vaccine mandate was announced. Still, tens of thousands of healthcare workers in New York are likely to have refused the jab, the Washington Post reported.
The Empire State mandate went into effect even as several lawsuits pending in state and federal courts. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order earlier this month prohibiting the New York State Department of Health from requiring healthcare employers to deny religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. No court has stopped the mandate from taking effect, however.
New York’s home care workers must have at least one shot of the vaccine in their arms or be terminated from their jobs starting Oct. 7.
