Healthcare facilities in New York are preparing to remove certain healthcare professionals as the deadline for vaccination approaches. The move comes in the wake of certain healthcare workers refusing to get vaccinated against COVID 19. According to the State officials, doctors have time till the end of Monday to get at least the first dose of the shot.
These suspensions may create a shortage of health workers across the State, experts worry. Authorities are requesting healthcare workers to take wise decisions. Their firms are anxiously waiting for them to receive that shot in their arms. They want to say that they belong to their families. The State needs their assistance to move on.
Deadline For Inoculation Against COVID 19 Arrives For Healthcare Professionals
The Governor’s ruling is not confined to doctors and nurses. NY wants every single healthcare worker; food service personnel, cleaners, and administrators to receive their jabs. A decision to go against the same will cost them their jobs. They will not even receive unemployment insurance unless they submit a doctor-approved request for a medical exemption.
The Governor decided to stay strong in her ruling to mandate vaccination. He is also facing several lawsuits. According to him, the State has the duty to protect patients at high risk of severe illness from COVID 19 infections.
Some among those who refuse the inoculation want it to be a personal decision. According to one among them, being strong-armed is a reason for self-hatred.
Friday was the last day to receive the jab. One doctor, who worries about the vaccine’s side effects says that she is the one who worked extra time to compensate for those who decided to quit. And this suspension is like a kick on her face. It was like saying that she was good until then. She is one of those doctors who tried unsuccessfully to challenge the vaccine mandate.
The Erie County Medical Center Corporation, Buffalo was forced to put 5% of the hospital staff on unpaid leave. The same was done to the 20% of workers in its nursing homes. Numerous hospitals and nursing homes have the same thing to say about their staff because of the vaccine mandate.
Some of the workers voluntarily quit their jobs. Authorities hope that these unpaid leaves and suspensions would prompt them to get vaccinated. Officials want them to get back to their work.
New York City has over 450,000 healthcare workers in total. 84% of them are fully vaccinated. The same is 89% in nursing homes. Northwell Health announced that 98% of its workforce has received full protection from COVID 19. It is 95% among nurses and is higher among doctors, reported the city’s hospital system.
As the deadline for vaccination arrived, several hospitals are preparing contingency plans to minimize the shortage of staff. They are regulating the number of non-critical admissions in hospitals. Nursing homes too decided to follow suit.
Even before the mandate kicked in, hospitals were already struggling with a shortage of staff. After 18 months into the pandemic, workers are retiring. Some are exploring options other than healthcare.
The Governor says that she will sign orders to acquire additional authority to address staff shortage. She also plans to call medically trained national guards to resolve the crisis. She will invite fully vaccinated healthcare professionals from outside the State to assist hospitals. She will also call a meeting to channel healthcare resources to help those hospitals grappling with worker shortages.
At present, doctors are eligible for religious exemptions.
According to some, natural immunity is sufficient enough. And they do not want someone else to decide what is best for them. Some are working for now because of the religious exemption granted to them. When it expires, they will consider other options.
