Today is the vaccination deadline for New York City government workers.
Employees, including police and firefighters among others, have until 5 in the afternoon to receive their first dose of the Covid vaccine or they will be discharged from Monday with the consequent loss of salary.
Because there are employees who have not been vaccinated, there is concern about a possible shortage of personnel in the Police, Fire and Sanitation departments.
Even though in the last few hours there has been a significant flow of vaccinated employees, there are still significant numbers of NYPD and FDNY members for that matter, who remain unvaccinated (about 20% of the NYPD and about 30% of the FDNY) .
Unions representing these workers have warned that this could lead to situations such as the closure of fire stations and slower response times, costing lives.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was optimistic both that in the last hours before the deadline expires, many will decide to get vaccinated and that the City has the capacity to deal with any eventuality of staff shortages – once they are suspend those who have not been vaccinated.
“We expect that many of the vaccinations will occur towards the end of the term,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.
Indeed, on Thursday the police reported that more than a thousand members of the NYPD had been vaccinated.
“Another great job of the NYPD Medical Division: More than 1,000 first dose vaccines have been administered to our members today,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea wrote in a social media message.
“Thanks to your efforts, your @NYPDnews is currently 78% vaccinated – and that number just keeps going up,” he added.
More great work from the NYPD’s Medical Division — more than 1,000 first-dose vaccine shots were provided to our members today.
Thanks to their efforts, your @NYPDnews is currently 78% vaccinated — and that number keeps going up. #StopTheSpread https://t.co/RDma5mwCGF
— Commissioner Shea (@NYPDShea) October 29, 2021
It remains to be seen if in the next few hours more police, firefighters and others decide to get the vaccine. The City is offering a $ 500 stimulus to those who do so before the deadline on Friday.
Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro appeared to accept the reality that many of its members simply will not be vaccinated, noting in a statement:
“The Department must deal with the unfortunate fact that a portion of our workforce has refused to comply with the vaccination mandate for all city employees.
“We will use all means at our disposal, including mandatory overtime, mutual assistance from other emergency service providers, and significant changes to our members’ schedules. We will ensure the continuity of operations and the safety of all those we meet. that we have sworn to serve, “wrote Nigro.
The mayor said he is confident that whatever happens, the city will be prepared.
“We had a lot of times, in 2020, where we had a huge staff shortage because people were sick with COVID, and the NYPD kept things moving and will do it again,” de Blasio said.
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