Health Care Workers Will Be Required To Get Boosted: Hochul

LONG ISLAND, NY — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday that she is seeking to require all hospital health care workers to receive a booster shot, just as she also said she is "cautiously optimistic" that hospitalizations are beginning to plateau after the holiday COVID-19 surge.

As of Friday, there were 82,094 new positive cases of the coronavirus reported statewide, with a seven-day rolling average of 363.41 cases per 100,000; on Long Island, that number stood at 411.38 cases per 100,000.

Testing is also continuing at a brisk pace, with 377,000 tests reported Thursday.

Statewide, 11,548 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, and 155 deaths were reported over the past 24 hours.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 increased from 16 percent to 39 percent, "more than doubling" after the holiday surge spurred on by the omicron variant, Hochul said.

This week, Hochul also asked for a deep dive into the numbers, to see how many patients were actually admitted for COVID-19 and how many tested positive while being treated for other issues including overdoses, car accidents and heart attacks.

As of Jan. 4, 39 percent were hospitalized with COVID-related compared to 61 percent, for other reasons.

On Long Island, the number of those hospitalized with COVID-19 related reasons was 59.6 percent over a seven-day average.

On a positive note, Hochul said 37 percent of patients were asymptomatic.

However, Hochul noted, "This is still a pandemic."

To that end, she said too many people are going to emergency rooms statewide for testing, with 4,753 statewide seeking ER testing over the past 24 hours and 510 people on Long Island; statewide, COVID-19 testing cases comprised 19 percent of emergency room volume.

On the vaccination front, Hochul said only 29 percent of children ages 5 to 11 had been vaccinated; however, kids ages 12 to 15 are now eligible for the Pfizer booster.

Health care boosters

New York was the first state to mandate vaccinations for health care workers, and now, Hochul said that effort will continue with her efforts to require that health care workers be boosted within two weeks of eligibility, with no test-out option and only medical exemptions..

"We anticipate swift approval and this will take effect immediately," she said.

Rep. Lee Zeldin, who has announced a run for governor, denounced the news. "Our state’s hospitals and other medical facilities are already understaffed. Governor Hochul’s last vaccine mandate for healthcare workers and resulting firings made this crisis worse. Now, she’s announced her intention to exacerbate the problem by requiring COVID booster shots. Enough with the threats, mandates, fines and firings! It’s time to respect medical freedom, follow all of the science, return to normal, and let New Yorkers go on with their lives," he said.

Nursing home boosters

Hochul said in New York, 77 percent of nursing home residents are fully vaxxed and boosted. But visitors must now wear surgical paper masks and show proof of a negative test within the past 24 hours, to keep the vulnerable safe. "This will spread like wildfire," she said.

New tests ordered

In addition to the 37 million rapid tests ordered statewide, Hochul announced Friday that another 12 million were on the way.

Pediatric cases increasing at more rapid rate

New York State Commissioner of Health Dr. Mary Bassett said a comprehensive report would be released Friday on pediatric cases and said cases have escalated in the same pattern as adult cases, with the onset of omicron. But what is concerning, she said, was that the rate of increase among children was faster — increasing eightfold in children under the age of 5 and tenfold for kids 12 to 18.

While the numbers are still fairly small — with first, 85 hospitalized statewide on Dec. 4, and 571 today — it's the rate of increase that's worrisome, she said. A total of 66 percent of pediatric admissions are unvaccinated, she said.

"These children do not have to be scared, frightened, lying in hospital beds," Hochul said. "There is an answer." She pleaded as a mother that parents get their children vaccinated.

Bruce Blakeman's refusal to adhere to mask mandate

With new Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman defying Hochul's mask mandate, Hochul said: "Those who underestimate me do so at their own peril. I have the law the the state of New York behind me and I will always exercise my authority to protect the health of the people of this state."

State law supercedes rulings in counties or other jurisdictions, she said. "Municipalities are creatures of the state, have to follow state law," she said.

In addition, she said, states have to follow regulations set in place by the State Education Department, who "came out strongly" and said they wanted to continue the mandate. Those who do not will suffer "consequences, including fines and cessation of funding," Hochul said.

She said she always said she was going to take a different approach and empower localities to do the right thing; she said she believed the mask mandate or vaccination option was the right thing to do.

Counties should be using the authority granted by the state of New York to enforce the mandate, she said.

Hochul said she is appealing, "not to elected leaders who are not taking their responsibilities seriously to protect public health — but to businesses." She said she was grateful to business owners who did what was asked to protect workplaces so there would be no need for a shutdown.

Her goal has always been to protect public health and the economy, she said.