BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) Eleven county governments, making up part of Western New York and the Finger Lakes, have sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul urging her to reconsider the booster shot mandate for healthcare workers.
"Hospital administrators simply cannot afford to lose any more staff," said Chris DeBolt, Ontario County Administrator. "Dismissing more healthcare workers as the Omicron variant makes its way through, seems short sighted."
County leaders from Genesee, Wyoming, Orleans as well as eight other Finger Lake counties fully support the importance of vaccinations, to protect their communities.
But DeBolt points out, hospital systems are facing severe staffing shortages coupled with increasing patient loads caused by the Omicron surge. There is concern that even if a handful of healthcare workers are dismissed for refusing to receive the booster within the designated time frame, it could exacerbate an already tenuous situation.
"I understand the governor's public health goal of getting as many people boosted as possible to maximize their protection, but doing so at the cost of an already beleaguered healthcare workforce, doesn't seem prudent at this time," added DeBolt.
"Right now in Ontario County, among the general population, we're in the high 30's as far as the percentage of those who are eligible, to have gotten their booster shot. I expect the percentage to be significantly higher among the healthcare workforce. But I do expect it to be somewhat below 100%. And any number below 100% is going to put a strain on the health care system," he said.
Hospitals and healthcare, in general, are not immune from the worker shortage that almost every industry is facing. There's burn-out among front line workers, an overall worker shortage, and a potential further restricting of the labor pool with the booster mandate.
Earlier this month, Governor Hochul announced that New York's existing health care vaccination mandate will be expanded to require health care employees to receive booster shots within two weeks of eligibility.
DeBolt thinks we're starting to see a shift in public policy and public perception with the virus.
"We can't have a zero infection policy when the vaccines don't provide protection against infection." He quickly adds that the vaccines have been shown to be highly efficacious in preventing serious disease, hospitalization and death. But thinks it's time to start thinking about how to learn to live with Covid.
The eleven leaders are not just criticizing the booster mandate. The letter suggests a test-out option for fully vaccinated healthcare workers who do not receive the recommended booster shot within the prescribed time frame on a temporary basis until the Omicron wave subsides and the hospital capacity crisis eases.
There has been no response, so far, from Governor Hochul.
The full conversation with Chris DeBolt, Ontario County Administrator, is below.
