Hours following the implementation of New York’s vaccine directive for healthcare workers, Deborah Conrad expected she would lose her employment.
The physician’s assistant, 46, works at Batavia’s United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia. Conrad has refused to be administered the dose and was among the tens of thousands of uninoculated New Yorkers whose employment was at stake following the implementation at midnight. Her co-worker remarked to her that she was no longer on the schedule for the succeeding week and her email appeared to have been inactive.
According to Conrad, “I’m assuming I am no longer employed. It’s my understanding that there is no notice or letter going out.” She added, “A lot of people I work with felt forced into getting vaccinated. But I’m not changing my mind. I’m not better off than any of them, I just feel very strongly.”
Staten Island University Hospital employees opposed the mandatory inoculation and testing through a protest. (Photo: The New York Times)
Biden’s Announcement
President Joe Biden made a declaration previously that a vaccine directive for health care buildings that receive Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement. This affects an estimated 17 million health care workers in the US. States such as California, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island also imposed vaccine guidelines for health care workers that will be implemented in the current week. However, there are mounting concerns regarding staff shortages at inundated hospitals tackling COVID-19 cases.
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According to California Hospital Association spokesperson Jan Emerson-Shea, they do not know how the situation will play out. They are concerned regarding how it will aggravate quite a staffing that is quite problematic. He continued that the organization is very much supportive of the state’s mandatory vaccination mandate.
Temporary, Partial Injunction
On Thursday, according to court documents, a judge released a temporary and partial injunction against New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s vaccine directive for healthcare workers mere days following its implementation. The temporary restraining order was released following an attorney for three healthcare workers, one nurse from Syracuse and two nurses from Long Island’s Syosset Hospital, remarked in a lawsuit that the command contravened the religious rights of the employees. The decision from the panel of three judges provides workers an exemption in accordance with religious grounds. The law company representing the nurses found the decision by the court favorable.
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