As COVID Vax Deadlines Hit, NYC Claims No Major Staff Shortfalls

NEW YORK CITY — A rush of unvaccinated school staff will cram in last-minute shots before a new end-of-Friday deadline, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

De Blasio on Tuesday yet again waved off concerns that strict COVID-19 mandates for certain essential workers would lead to major staff shortfalls, especially in schools.

"Eighty-two percent of New York City adults already have one dose because the vast, vast majority of folks believe in vaccines, and even a lot of folks who are hesitant, ultimately get there," he said during his daily briefing. "So, that number is going to go up and we're going to make the adjustment. But then I think you're going to see people start to come back, when they actually experienced not having a paycheck, a lot of people are going to make a different decision."

The mayor's comments unfolded Tuesday, the morning after a state vaccine mandate for health care workers took effect and federal judges cleared the way for a similar requirement for the city's public schools.

No hospitals appeared to sustain major shortages from unvaccinated staff not going to work, said Mitchell Katz, president and CEO of the public Health + Hospitals system.

"All our hospitals are fully operational at this time," he said.

But staffing at schools remains an open question.

Unvaccinated school staff have until Friday at 5 p.m. to get a vaccine, or else they won't be able to work next week, de Blasio said.

Union leaders for teachers and principals have repeatedly raised doubts that many schools will have enough staff. School safety officers, for example, have a 74 percent vaccination rate — far below the 87 percent for all staff.

About one-third of United Federation of Teachers chapter leaders believe schools can open without disruption after the mandate takes effect, according to the union.

De Blasio expressed confidence more staff will get vaccinated and holes can be plugged.

"People come in at different points in the week, different shifts," he said. "So, for example, if you've got someone who's not going to be vaccinated and we need to replace their time, you can do that in one way with overtime, someone's willing to do extra time and most people are. Second, we're going to see again, a surge of vaccination. We've seen it every time these deadlines are coming up."