Reuters reported that as of September 27, New York hospitals have begun firing and suspending employees that have not followed the statewide mandate of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
As a result of the shortages, some hospitals have had to postpone elective surgeries or curtail services.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference that the city’s hospitals aren’t seeing a significant impact from the mandate yet and mentioned that other areas where vaccination rates are lower are the primary concern.
JoAnne Cavanaugh, a spokeswoman for Catholic Health, one of the largest healthcare providers in Western New York, said they had achieved full compliance within their staff, counting members who had been vaccinated, individuals with exemptions, and people who had been suspended without pay.
Cavanaugh did not specify the exact number of workers suspended or granted exemptions for religious or medical reasons.
Catholic Health said it was forced to postpone “a small number” of elective surgeries.
Spokesman Peter Cutler said, “We had to make a decision as to where we could temporarily make some changes so that we could ensure other areas of services are as little affected as possible.”
“Financially, it’s a big deal,” he added.
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The inoculation encouragement stems from President Joe Biden and other state and federal political leaders’ efforts to amp up the pressure on unvaccinated Americans, including those objecting due to religious, health, and other reasons.
New York’s state health department mandated last month for all healthcare workers to receive a minimum of at least one COVID-19 vaccine by September 27.
Out of 43,000 employees at New York City’s 11 public hospitals, reportedly almost 5,000 of them were not vaccinated, Dr. Mitchell Katz, head of NYC Health + Hospitals, said.
Katz also mentioned that 95% of nurses have been vaccinated and that all the group’s facilities are “open and fully functional.”
