Roughly two dozen “unvaccinated leaders” have been fired from Northwell Health, according to multiple reports.
Employees at nursing homes and hospitals were required to receive at least their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine by midnight on Monday, according to an Aug. 16 order by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Employees at hospices, home care centers and adult care facilities are required to get at least their first dose by Oct. 7.
Northwell, in a statement to Newsday, confirmed that it had begun to terminate unvaccinated staff members.
“We are now beginning the process to exit the rest of our unvaccinated staff,” Northwell told Newsday. “Northwell wants to reassure the public that during this time, there will be no impact to the quality of patient care at any of our facilities. We are proud that our workforce is already nearly 100 percent vaccinated.”
Efforts to reach a representative from Northwell were unavailing.
Statewide data released by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday indicated that more than 92 percent of all hospital staff members have received at least one dose of the vaccine. More than 93 percent of all direct care staff members in the state, or people in contact with patients, have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
More than 92 percent of all nursing home staff members received at least one dose of the vaccine as of Tuesday, according to state data.
On Monday, Hochul signed an executive order to expand the eligible workforce and permit additional health care workers to conduct coronavirus testing and vaccinations. She also ordered the state’s 24/7 Operations Center to monitor staffing operations and trends throughout New York and provide guidance to health care facilities.
The news comes a week after Nassau County surpassed the 90 percent mark for adults who have received at least one vaccine shot.
The state Health Department, which breaks down vaccination rates by ZIP code, found that on the North Shore the 11042 ZIP code of New Hyde Park continues to have the lowest rate at 23.1 percent of people vaccinated. That area, however, consists primarily of businesses south of Northern State Parkway and along Marcus Avenue.
The next lowest vaccination rate on the North Shore is the 71.8 percent in the 11024 ZIP code of the Great Neck peninsula, which includes the Village of Kings Point. The next lowest one is also in Great Neck, with the 11023 ZIP code at a 74 percent rate, according to the figures. This area incorporates parts of the villages of Great Neck and Saddle Rock, along with Great Neck Gardens and Harbor Hills.
The highest vaccination rate, 92.9 percent, is also on the Great Neck peninsula, the 11020 ZIP code, consisting primarily of the Village of Lake Success and University Gardens. Some of this area is also made up of Great Neck South Middle and High School, North Shore Hebrew Academy and the Fresh Meadow Country Club.
The statistics also show vaccination rates of 90.4 percent in Roslyn, 86.6 percent in Albertson, 86.4 percent in New Hyde Park’s 11040 ZIP code, 85.3 percent in Mineola, 84.6 percent in Port Washington, 84.4 percent in Williston Park, 83.8 percent in Great Neck’s 11021 ZIP code, 83.6 percent in Roslyn Heights, 79.8 percent in Manhasset and 77.5 percent in Floral Park.
In total, the 13 North Shore ZIP codes average a 84.9 percent vaccination rate. Without the 23.1 percent figure in the 11042 ZIP code, the average for the remaining 12 ZIP codes increases to 90.1 percent.
