SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Calling the COVID-19 vaccination rate among staff at long term care facilities “unacceptably low,” Governor Phil Murphy said he would consider mandating the shots for New Jersey nursing home workers.
While 82% of residents in New Jersey’s long term care facilities have received the COVID-19 vaccine, only 58% of staffers have.
A state dashboard shows that in Camden County, 78% of long term care residents are vaccinated, compared to 56% of the staff.
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“The staff vaccination levels continue to be unacceptably low,” Murphy said at his press briefing Monday.
Murphy noted that early in the pandemic, the state’s nursing homes were particularly hard hit by COVID-19. He urged families of the residents to seek answers from nursing home operators.
“Please ask management two questions: What percentage of your staff is vaccinated, and what’s your plan to get that number up?” Murphy said.
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Murphy said his preference was that nursing home staff be vaccinated of their own free will.
But he said if outbreaks at long term care facilities continue to be staff-related, he would consider making shots for staff mandatory.
“Would we consider other steps? I think if we had to, we will, honestly,” Murphy said.
"This is one of the few areas that is somewhere between frustrating and angering for us.”