New York Governor Kathy Hochul says a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health workers that went into effect this week is working to boost vaccination rates, providing a road map to other states that are trying to fight the highly transmissible delta variant.
About 92% of nursing home staff in New York had received at least one vaccine dose as of Monday evening, up from 70% on Aug. 15, before the vaccine mandate was announced, according to the governor’s office. And 84% of hospital staff were fully inoculated as of Sept. 22, up from 77% on Aug. 10, according to state data.
Healthcare workers statewide were required to get at least their first dose of the vaccine by Sept. 27, as the state continues to battle a rise in COVID cases, especially among unvaccinated people. Those who refuse the shot or who don’t receive an exemption face termination.
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Hochul signed an executive order on Monday to help alleviate potential labor shortages, directing the state Department of Health to monitor staffing statewide and provide guidance to facilities. The order, among other actions, also allows healthcare workers from outside the state, including people who live outside the U.S., to practice in New York, and eliminates barriers for retirees to reenter the workforce.
The governor said she is still monitoring whether to deploy medically trained National Guard members to help if there are shortages.
On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also hailed vaccine mandates following a court panel decision on Monday that the city could proceed with a vaccine mandate for teachers and other education workers. School workers at the largest school district in the U.S. have until Friday at 5 p.m. to get their first COVID shot or get placed on unpaid leave. Principals will have the weekend to find substitute teachers so that “by Monday morning, 100% of staff will be vaccinated,” de Blasio said during a briefing.
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He cited an analysis that the average number of daily vaccinations in the city has increased by 45% since the first mandates were put in place in July.
“Vaccine mandates not only work, but they are winning in court,” de Blasio said. “People respond to deadlines.”
New cases and hospitalizations have been decreasing in recent weeks. The seven-day average for daily cases in New York City was 1,548 on Sunday, down from over 1,900 cases a day in August, according to city data. The daily number of hospitalizations on a seven-day average fell to 56 on Sunday, from 119 last month.
