New York State has decided not to enforce a COVID-19 booster requirement that had been set to begin Monday for healthcare workers.
The state health commissioner on Friday announced the decision, in large part due to the shortage of workers that would result from enforcing the mandate.
The latest data showed 75% of the state’s healthcare workforce have "received or are willing to receive their booster," Commissioner Mary T. Bassett, said in a statement.
"The reality is that not enough healthcare workers will be boosted by next week’s requirement in order to avoid substantial staffing issues in our already overstressed healthcare system," Dr. Bassett continued.
"That is why we are announcing additional efforts to work closely with healthcare facilities and ensure that our healthcare workforce is up-to-date on their doses."
Bassett said the state would reassess the situation in three months.
New York's data showed that 95% of hospice workers had received or said they planned to get the booster, as did 84% of hospital workers. However, only 51% of nursing home workers said the same, The New York Times reported.
New York healthcare workers still are required to have received their initial vaccination series under a mandate that went into effect last year.
The Supreme Court declined to block the mandate after some workers challenged it based on religious objections.
Acting in two cases, the justices denied emergency requests for an injunction requiring the state to allow religious exemptions while litigation over the mandate's legality continues in lower courts. Conservative Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch said they would have granted the injunction.
New York City fired about 1,400 public employees last week for not complying with a mandate requiring at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. The high court also declined to block that mandate.
Reuters contributed to this story.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.