ALBANY, N.Y. (TND) — New York Governor Kathy Hochul is indicating that the overturning of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers will not allow any unvaccinated individuals to return to their roles. The state is in the midst of an ongoing health care staffing shortage, with one Capital Region hospital official calling the situation a “crisis.” In several regions, emergency room patients have recently waited hours and even days for a bed.
New York’s highest court struck down the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers nearly two weeks ago, with one judge calling it “null and void.” The mandate, which asked hospitals and nursing homes throughout the state to develop individual policies enforcing vaccinations, was implemented by then-Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2021. Hochul extended it the following year.
However, as state health facilities wait for guidance following the legal decision, Hochul appears to be standing firm on the pandemic-era requirement. It is estimated that New York lost nearly 34,000 health care workers due to the vaccination requirement. The departures are attributed to a mixture of terminations and resignations.
I think everybody who goes into a healthcare facility or nursing home should have the assurance, and their family members should know, that we have taken all the steps to protect the public’s health,” Hochul said. “And that includes making sure that those who come in contact with them at their time of most vulnerability, when they are sick or elderly, will not pass on the virus.”
Editor’s Note: Gov. Hochul is basing this decision despite the fact that Pfizer CEO Janine Small admitted to European Union Parliament that vaccines were not tested to prevent transmission. The Gov. continues to base decisions that effect people’s livelihoods solely on compliance with medical orthodoxy. — mmd