Thousands of healthcare workers in New York could lose their jobs because of vaccine refusal | Abroad

New York is seen in the United States as one of the first places where it will become clear what the consequences are of a much stricter vaccination policy in healthcare. Hospital staff will have until midnight on Monday to get their first dose of a corona vaccine. Refusers can lose their jobs. California and Maine are also introducing such a vaccination requirement for healthcare personnel.

70 thousand people

The stricter policy could lead to mass layoffs in healthcare. Recent figures have shown that about 16 percent of the approximately 450,000 hospital workers in New York have not yet been fully vaccinated. That equates to about 70,000 people. “I think a lot of unvaccinated workers, not just nurses, are counting on them to be so essential that they won’t be fired after all,” the New York Professional Nurses Union (NYPNU) union chief told the paper.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Saturday that she is preparing to declare a state of emergency. For example, qualified medical personnel licensed in other states can also be deployed in New York. Medically trained personnel from the National Guard can also be called upon. In addition, it is being examined whether people with medical experience can obtain a visa faster.

Nursing association NYPNU supports the vaccination obligation, but thinks that Hochul presents its emergency plan very late. That happened about 48 hours before thousands of caregivers could lose their jobs. Such a mass layoff can turn out to be disastrous, according to trade union director Eileen Toback, because hospitals can hardly spare people. “There is no fat on the bones.”

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