As a deadline looms for health care workers in New York to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Monroe County Executive Adam Bello says local hospitals are still sorting through legal issues and support plans.
A federal judge temporarily blocked the mandate earlier this week. New York has until Sept. 22 to respond, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has said the state will work to push forward with the mandate.
Bello says the state is firm in putting the mandate in place, and that contingency plans are being made for potential staffing issues that could result from workers leaving the health care industry.
More information on support plans are expected to be released next week, Bello said.
“All of us are doing everything possible to get the rest of our citizens and employees vaccinated,” said Bello. “We can end this pandemic, but we do it by vaccination.”
“This debate has unfortunately fallen into not why to get the vaccine, but how to make people get vaccines,” said Monroe County Health Commissioner, Dr. Michael Mendoza. “And I think we need to go back a step and start to answer again why we should get the vaccine. I believe it’s our professional responsibility as health care providers to keep ourselves safe and to do everything evidence-based, within our powers to keep our patients safe. And we now know that the FDA has formally approved the Pfizer vaccine. We’ve got ample evidence to show it’s working. It’s been administered to billions of people.
“There really is no reason at this point not to get the vaccine,” he added. “I understand that people have questions. I understand people have reservations about the manner in which we’ve gotten here, but I do think if we take a step back and consider this from the standpoint of what do we do to keep our patients healthy and safe, I think the answer, frankly, is very clear.”
Bello says he has confidence in the health care system and its workers. To date, he says 91% of workers at Strong Memorial Hospital have been vaccinated, as well as 87% at Rochester General Hospital. Bello said 79% of workers at Monroe Community Hospital have been vaccinated.
He stressed that, ahead of the deadline, people are still getting vaccinated. Thursday, the United Way of Greater Rochester announced people who get vaccinated between now and Sept. 30 will be able to receive a $100 gift card. For more information on the initiative, click here.
Dr. Mendoza acknowledged new COVID numbers in our area are still at an elevated level, however he says the number of tests being administered has also increased with schools and colleges resuming in-person learning. Positive cases in children 5-18, he said, have increased 6 percent in recent weeks, with many cases potentially stemming from travel or social gatherings, sometimes before or after sporting events.
With that in mind, Dr. Mendoza encouraged parents to keep an eye on potential symptoms in their children, and to remind them to wear masks at gatherings before or after sports events.
On the topic of sports, Bello said the county has been in talks with Pegula Sports and Entertainment regarding potential COVID safety requirements at the Blue Cross Arena. This week, the owners of the Buffalo Bills and Sabres announced fans must be fully vaccinated to attend games at Highmark Stadium and the KeyBank Arena.
"We’re working through what we think the best protocols will be," said Bello, "and we’ll have a decision on that to announce in the next couple of days."