How many healthcare workers quit or left after the state’s vaccine mandate went into effect this fall?
The measure, which went into effect on September 7, with a temporary delay for those who claimed a religious exemption, resulted in a lot of headlines about a workforce shortage.
To be clear, the workforce shortage existed before the COVID-19 vaccine mandate went into effect. Hundreds of facilities across the state had dozens, if not hundreds of openings before the mandate took effect.
As of November 10, 33,000 healthcare workers were considered ‘inactive’. That includes 13,000 who were terminated, and 3,700 who resigned or retired. There were another 12,000 who were put on leave because they were not vaccinated.
Altogether there are approximately 1 million healthcare workers in New York.
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