Governor Hochul held a COVID and vaccination update on Wednesday.
This comes a day after a federal judge has knocked down New York’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers that took a religious exemption off the table.
That means employers in the state are no longer required to deny employment to healthcare workers who claim religious exemptions.
The mandate required most medical workers in New York to get their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by September 27th or lose their jobs.
Many of those who did not were placed on suspension while the whole religious exemption concept was being decided.
On Wednesday Governor Hochul received a flu shot, and called for New Yorkers to do the same.
"Flu season is here. ... With lesser restrictions, we want to make sure that everybody's protected, that you don't end up getting the flu or COVID or both, which is the worst case scenario"
She also spoke of the opening of the border with Canada, saying that was is "good news, particularly for the communities along Western New York, the northern border.."
Hochul reported that there was a 3% loss to the healthcare workforce though terminations, resignations or those on furlough awaiting results of the ongoing litigation on religious exemption.
The governor also mentioned adding more pop up vaccination sites in locations in areas that have seen in areas that are higher than 4%.