More than nine in ten hospital and nursing home staff in New York State are now vaccinated with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
At least 60,000 hospital workers received their first doses in the last month, leading up to the state's vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, which took effect Monday.
In both hospitals and nursing homes, 92 percent of staffers are now vaccinated, while 89 percent of staff in New York State's adult care facilities are vaccinated.
But 36,000 hospital staff members - and thousands more employees in nursing home home and adult care facilities - may be out of work soon if they don't comply with the mandate.
Governor Kathy Hochul has prepared for a potential staff shortage by expanding eligibility for providing Covid-related services in the state. The governor is prepared to call in the National Guard if needed, she said.
More than 90% of hospital and nursing home staff in New York are now vaccinated. Pictured: Theresa Clarke, Nurse Manager at Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital, was the first staffer from her facility to get vaccinated on December 15, 2020
Governor Kathy Hochul is prepared to call in the National Guard if needed to address a healthcare staff shortage. Pictured: Hochul speaks to the press, September 2021
Healthcare workers in New York State now must be vaccinated to keep their jobs, according to a state-wide mandate.
The mandate was announced by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo in August, and was upheld by Hochhul when she succeeded him.
It was one of the first - and one of the largest - such mandates to be announced in the U.S.
About 450,000 workers in hospitals are impacted by the requirement, along with thousands more nursing home and adult care facility staff.
The mandate made a significant impact on vaccinations for these workers, Hochul announced Tuesday.
More than nine in ten hospital workers and nursing home workers are vaccinated with at least one dose, according to a New York Department of Health survey conducted on September 27.
About 92 percent of hospital workers are now vaccinated - up from 77 percent about one month ago, on August 24.
That increase represents about 67,500 hospital workers who got their first shots after the vaccine mandate was announced.
