The US state of New York is looking at emergency solutions now that tens of thousands of healthcare workers may not meet a vaccination requirement next week. Considerations include calling in the National Guard and seeking medical personnel in other states.
For example, staff shortages in hospitals and other medical centres must be prevented, writes the New York Times newspaper.
New York is seen in the United States as one of the first places where it will become apparent the consequences 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. After that, refusers can lose their jobs. California and Maine are also introducing such a vaccination requirement for healthcare personnel.
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 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. According to trade union director Eileen Toback, such a mass layoff can be disastrous because hospitals can hardly spare people. “There is no fat on the bones.”