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To help mitigate staffing shortages and give workers more time to get boosted, the New York State Department of Health said Friday it will no longer enforce the booster requirement that was set to go into effect on Feb. 21.
Why it matters: Roughly 61% of New York's health care staff have gotten the booster, according to data from the health department, and the original vaccine mandate for health workers remains in place.
Details: The state's health department said it will start bringing boosters directly to health care settings to ensure workers get the shot.
What they're saying: "While we are making progress with 75% of staff received or are willing to receive their booster, 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," State Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett said in a statement.
- "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," she added.