9 In 10 Hospital, Nursing Home Staff Vaccinated: Hochul

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — As Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that health care staff vaccination rates rose precipitously throughout New York State before the vaccination mandate for health care staff in hospitals and nursing homes went into effect, commenters on Patch continued to argue about it.

"This new information shows that holding firm on the vaccine mandate for health care workers is simply the right thing to do to protect our vulnerable family members and loved ones from COVID-19," Hochul said. "I am pleased to see that health care workers are getting vaccinated to keep New Yorkers safe, and I am continuing to monitor developments and ready to take action to alleviate potential staffing shortage situations in our health care systems."

• The percentage of nursing home staff receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose increased to 92 percent as of Monday evening, up from 71 percent on Aug. 24, when Hochul was sworn in.

• The percentage of adult care facilities staff receiving at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose increased to 89 percent as of Monday evening, up from 77 percent on Aug. 24.

• The percentage of hospital staff receiving at least one dose is 92 percent as of Monday evening based on preliminary self-reported data. The percentage of fully vaccinated is 85 percent as of Monday evening, up from 77 percent on Aug. 24.

The data came from a one-time survey of hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities on Sept. 27 by the NY Department of Health to determine the vaccination status of workers in health care settings.

The state has a COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Long Term Care Vaccinations webpage, which is updated daily with information self-reported by Skilled Nursing Facilities and Adult Care Facilities and a Vaccine Tracker Hospital Worker Vaccination webpage, which is updated weekly with information self-reported by individual hospitals.

Two commenters on Patch insisted that Gov. Hochul and all who support vaccine mandates were communists.

"I can't wait for the NY health care system to collapse when they fire 45,000 health care workers! Then I can watch all the mandate commies cry on the sidewalk when hospitals turn them away or put them on a waitlist to get care," said Will Norris.

But others supported the mandate.

"Patients come first," said George Coniglio. "It's one thing to endanger yourself and family, but it's another to endanger patients. We need staff willing to commit to hospital missions."