By Doha Madani - NBC News
A hospital in upstate New York announced that it will need to "pause" maternity services by the end of this month because employees who refuse to get vaccinated against the coronavirus have caused a staff shortage.
The health system in Lewis County is experiencing massive withdrawals by its mandate vaccination COVID-19, which puts at risk some service
s
, said Friday Gerald R. Cayer, executive director of the health system of the county.
The maternity unit has a shortage of staff due to the resignations of six people, and another seven have expressed that they do not want to be vaccinated.
"We will not be able to have secure personnel for service after September 24," Cayer said.
"
The number of waivers received leaves us no choice but to pause labor
at Lewis County General Hospital."
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Hospital administrators are working on "contingency plans" in the event of more massive resignations that could put other essential services at risk.
Under New York State law,
the deadline for healthcare personnel to receive their first dose of vaccines is September 27
.
People who are allergic or who have previously had adverse reactions to vaccines may request a medical exemption, but must present the certification of a licensed physician or specialized nursing staff.
The state of New York does not grant religious exemptions to its vaccination mandate for workers in the health care systems and nursing homes, in addition the authorities have recalled that that entity eliminated religious exemptions in 2019 during a measles outbreak.
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During a county meeting on Friday, Cayer said he "unequivocally" supports the vaccination requirement for healthcare workers.
And he assured that essential services are not at risk by the mandate, since this measure guarantees that there is a "healthy workforce."
"We, as employees,
have an obligation not to put the people we love or our co
-workers
at risk
," said Cayer.
At least 464 people, about 73% of the hospital system staff,
have been vaccinated but 165 health workers are still missing.
So far, most of the resignations come from clinical services, putting several areas at risk, Cayer said.
Currently, Lewis County has a weekly positivity rate of 5.8%, although the state average remains at 3.2%, according to data from New York State.
Lewis County General Hospital, New York State NBC News
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President Joe Biden announced Thursday that his Administration will issue immunization mandates at the federal level.
According to the president, employees who work in health care facilities that receive reimbursement from Medicare or Medicaid should be immunized.
The government asked the Labor Department to issue an emergency order for employers, with more than 100 workers, to comply with vaccination mandates and weekly tests for unvaccinated people or they
will face a $ 14,000 fine.
Vaccination mandates could be challenged in federal courts, especially in entities where religious exemptions are not accepted.
Currently, no major religion opposes vaccines, and leading Catholic, Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders have advised their parishioners to get vaccinated.
Experts consulted by NBC News said that the issue of religious exemptions could focus on determining whether the person who wants to request this measure has "sincere beliefs" against vaccination for religious reasons, so they must show that in the past they objected to other vaccines.
