by Maria Caspani and Nathan Layne
NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York hospitals on Monday began suspending or sacking healthcare workers who failed to comply with a New York state directive requiring them to be vaccinated against COVID-19, decisions that caused staff shortages and the cancellation of certain operations.
During a press conference, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said hospitals in the city were not yet feeling the full impact of the directive, adding that he was concerned about the situation in d ‘other areas of the state where the vaccination rate is lower.
A spokeswoman for Catholic Health, one of the major health care providers in New York City, said the state directive had been fully followed, with the census of staff vaccinated and waivers, while the others caregivers were suspended without payment of salary. She gave no figures.
Catholic Health has said that a “small number” of surgeries have been postponed.
The federal administration of President Joe Biden has stepped up the pressure for Americans still unvaccinated against COVID-19 to take the plunge. The New York State Department of Health issued a directive last month requiring all healthcare workers to receive at least a first dose of vaccine by September 27.
According to a representative of the local health services, about 5,000 caregivers of the 43,000 employees in the eleven New York public hospitals were not yet vaccinated against COVID-19.
(French version Jean Terzian)
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