By h. nazan ışık—

21 July 2021—

Mayor Bill de Blasio held a (virtual) press conference today, 21 July, with Commissioner Dave Chokshi, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, andPresident and CEO Mitchell Katz, NYC Health + Hospitals, on “Covid Safety Requirement.” 

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Today, we’re going to focus on the fight against COVID and the new things that we have to do in a new situation. The Delta variant continues to create more and more trouble, and we’ve got to fight back and we’ve got to fight back aggressively.

So, today we announce something new, a “COVID safety requirement” for our health workers. Beginning on August 2nd, every single one of our workers gets vaccinated or gets tested weekly.

All of our Health + Hospitals staff, all of our clinical workers for the Department of Health, every single one of those employees has a choice, get vaccinated, the better choice, or get tested weekly. And at any point you can decide, Hey, I’m ready to get vaccinated. Then you don’t need to get tested weekly anymore.”

Commissioner Dave Chokshi, Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: “Beginning August 2nd, proof of vaccination or a negative test will be requested from all of our clinic-based staff. That means nurses, doctors, social workers, custodians, and registrars.”

President and CEO Mitchell Katz, NYC Health + Hospitals: “The Delta variant is incredibly contagious. (…) All of my staff will need to get a COVID vaccination or if they are not vaccinated, to test weekly, to be sure that they do not transmit COVID to our patients or to each other. We know in health care facilities that there are patients at high risk for COVID due to underlying diseases. Some of these patients are immunosuppressed and cannot mount an adequate response to the vaccine. Some of our patients are young children who are not yet eligible for vaccination. We need to protect them and each other.” 

So what is this “Covid Safety Requirement?”  All of Health + Hospitals staff, all of clinical workers for the Department of Health, is required to proof of a Covid vaccination or weekly negative Covid test to protect patients and each other.

According to President Katz,  about 60 percent of Health + Hospitals employees are vaccinated. 40 percent are still need to get weekly Covid test. 

Is 40 percent NOT a lot, that 40 percent of hospital workers, who take care of patients, are not vaccinated? How safe is it for the sake of patients? And, how much that 40 percent of hospital workers’ weekly test will cost? 

“We’re starting up the ladder. Up to now, things have been entirely voluntary. They’re no longer voluntary. You have two choices. The better one is to get vaccinated. The easier one is get vaccinated.  You get vaccinated once, you’re done. Otherwise, you’ll be doing weekly testing,” said Mayor de Blasio in his message to Health + Hospitals employees.

Photo: © h. nazan ışık

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